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THE  ROVER. 


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THI 


RAMON, 


AND 


BY   THE   AUTHOR   Of 

"BVENINGS   IN    BOSTON," 


NEW-YORK: 

NAFIS  &  CORNISH,  278  PEARL  STREET. 

St.  LOUIS,  (Mo.)— NAFIS,  CORNISH  &  Co. 

PHILAPEmilA-JQHN  B.  PERRY. 


ENTERED  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1848,  by 

NAFIS  &  CORNISH, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of 
New-York. 


«TEREOTYrED  BY  L  JOHNSON,  PHILADELPHIA. 


PREFAC 


THESE  "  Chronicles"  were  written  in  the  author's 
younger  days,  when  he  was  on,  or  had  just  returned 
from  his  travels  in  the  "  Far  South,"  before  he  had 
turned  his  attention  to  the  graver  matters  of  history. 

With  respect  to  the  personal  narrative  of  Ramon, 
the  Rover  of  Cuba,  no  merit  is  claimed  beyond  that 
of  a  faithful  translator.  Any  reader  may  perceive 
that  Ramon's  pictures  are  drawn  from  the  life ;  and 
those  who  have  resided  in  the  "  ever  loyal  island"  will 
have  no  difficulty  in  recognising  many  of  the  charac- 

^S 

m  ters  and  scenes  which  present  themselves  in  the  course 
]  of  his  remarkable  narrative. 
>      The  "  Montero  of  Cuba,"  was  written  while  the 

LL 

^  author  was  residing  at  the  estate  of  a  friend  near 
Matanzas,  in  the   year  of  Grace  eighteen  hundred 


O  PREFACE. 

and  twenty-nine.  The  portrait  of  the  Montero  re 
presents  not  so  much  an  individual  as  a  class,  the 
mountaineers  or  yeomanry  of  Cuba — a  large  class  of 
the  citizens  of  a  country,  which  is  destined  at  a  period 
not  very  remote  to  become  the  seat  of  a  mighty 
nation.  ^ 

"  The  Brazilian"  is  an  historical  tale  founded  on 
facts.  Many  Americans  of  the  North,  who  were 
residing  at  Rio  and  Monte  Video  at  the  time  when 
the  events  narrated  in  this  tale  took  place,  will  dis 
tinctly  remember  the  sensation  which  they  occasioned 
at  the  time.  Connected  as  these  events  are  with  the 
assertion  of  national  independence  by  the  Brazilians, 
they  will,  perhaps,  be  deemed  worthy  the  notice  of 
those  who  value  the  historical  tale  more  highly  than 
the  mere  creations  of  fancy. 

The  author  submits  the  collection  with  humble 
deference  to  the  judgment  of  an  impartial  public. 

•  ••••-  ••  -' 


PREFACE P«c«  5 

INTRODUCTION  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR    ...» 13 

Scene  in  Havana,  14 — The  Stranger,  15 — Scene  on  the  Alameda,  17 — 
Spanish  character,  18 — Mysterious  Stranger,  19 — The  Manuscript,  20 — 
—The  Translation,  21. 


RAMON  THE  ROVER  OF  CUBA. 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Cavern — Early  Life  of  Ramon,  23 — Ramon  writes  his  Life,  24 — 
His  Parentage,  25— His  Education,  26 — Falls  in  Love,  27 — A  Dilemma, 
28 — The  Resolution,  29— The  Elopement,  30 — A  Rencontre,  31. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Adversity— The  Way  of  the  World,  32— The  Faithful  Negro,  33— 
Loss  of  Property,  35 — Friends,  36— Ramon  swears  Revenge,  37. 

CHAPTER  HI. 

How  to  make  op  a  Piratical  Crew  in  Havana,  38 — Character  of  the 
Havaneros,  39 — Ramon  collects  a  Crew,  40 — They  Embark,  41. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  firtt  Capture,  42— The  Massacre.  46— The  Prize,  47. 

7 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Boston  Schooner,  48 — Mr.  Starch  confesses,  50— Mr.  Starch  it 
marooned,  53. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Recruiting,  54 — Enlisting,  56 — Don  Manuel,  57 — Outward  Bound,  58. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  German  Ship — Trade  on  Shore,  59 — Several  Captures,.  60— Sale 
of  their  Cargoes,  61 — An  Alarm,  62 — Advice,  63. 

CHAPTER  Vin. 

Establishment  of  a  depot  in  a  Cavern  on  Shore,  64 — Pedro's  Adventure, 
65— French  Prize  taken,  66 — A  Surprise,  67— The  Pirates'  Cave,  68 — 
Plunder  concealed,  69— Ramon's  Chamber,  70 — Old  Rosa,  71. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Mutiny,  72— The  Execution^. 

CHAPTER  X. 

How  to  catch  a  Tartar — Encounter  with  a  Yankee  Schooner,  76 — The 
Vankee  Schooner,  77 — A  Tartar  Caught,  81 — Bernardo's  Orders,  82. 

CHAPTER  XL 

The  Patriot  Service — Attack  on  a  Royalist  City  in  Colombia — Plunder 
of  the  Cathedral,  83 — Afloat  again,  84 — A  Patriot,  85 — Joins  the  Colom 
bians,  86— Storming  a  Town,  89— The  Bishop's  Palace,  90— The  Ca 
thedral,  93 — Our  Pious  care  of  Relics,  94 — Gratitude,  95. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Liberty — James  the  Second,  96—Colombian  Liberty,  97— Cuba,  98— 
James  the  Second,  99 — Jackson,  100. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Yankee  Captain,  101— Acts  of  Piety,  104— Retaliation,  105— 
Ingratitude,  106. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Journal,  107 — An  Excursion,  108— New  Acquaintances,  109— Refleo* 
tions,  110. 


CONTENTS.  9 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Journal,  111— News,  112 — Scenes  in  South  America,  115— Tough 
Yarns,  116. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Journal,  117— My  Home,  118— My  Father,  119— Return  to  the  Car*, 
120. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Journal,  121— A  new  Character,  122 — Striking  a  Bargain,  123— The 
Yankee's  Narrative,  124 — The  Yankee  marooned,  125 — The  Yankee  in 
the  Cavern,  126 — Conjectures,  127. 

CHAPTER  XVin. 

Journal,  128 — The  Yankee  sent  off,  129— Bernardo's  Return,  ISO- 
Bernardo's  Narrative,  131. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Journal,  137 — Ramon  retires,  138 — A  Metamorphosis,  139— My  Paa« 
times,  140. 

'  •" _^  CHAPTER  XX. 

Journal,  141 — The  Young  American,  142 — The  Christian's  death,  143 
— Remorse,  145. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Journal,  147 — Confession,  148 — A  guilty  Conscience,  149. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Journal,  152 — Father  Ambrose,  153 — Religious  Instructions,  154— 
Perplexity,  156. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Journal,  158— Father  Ambrose's  Advice,  159. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Journal,  161 — Remorse,  162 — Presentiments,  166. 

NOTE  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR     .............  164 

POSTSCRIPT. 
Ramon,  the  Rover  of  Cuba.  177— Postscript,  178. 

t 


10  CONTENTS. 


THE  BRAZILIAN. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Saint  Christovao,  191  —  The  Young  Luis,  193  —  Influence  of  Education* 
194  —  Luis  joins  the  Army,  195  —  March  to  the  Banda  Oriental,  196. 

CHAPTER  H. 

The  Guachos,  199  —  The  Power  of  Music,  201  —  The  Captain's  Daugh 
ter,  202—  The  Invitation,  203—  The  Ball-room,  204—  The  Introduction, 
805  —  First  Impressions,  206. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Don  Miguel  Da  Costa,  208—  An  Expedition,  209  —  A  Revolution,  210 
—Luis  joins  Don  Pedro,  211  —  Entry  into  Monte  Video, 


CHAPTER  IV. 
A  Sally,  214  —  Luis  taken  Prisoner,  215  —  Luis  and  Da  Co&ta,  316. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Luis  to  be  sent  to  Portugal,  223  —  Frederick  Ross,  225  —  Parting  Sei»«. 
cade,  226  —  Luis  escapes,  227  —  Luis's  Marriage,  228. 


,  THE  MONTERO  OF  CUBA. 

• 

CHAPTER  I. 

Pedro  Sanches,  233 — Pedro's  visit  to  Matanzas,  256 — Hi»  Equipment*, 
237 — Pedro  begins  his  Journey,  238. 

CHAPTER  II. 
Pedro's  Prudence,  240— His  Valour,  241— Matanzas,  242. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Learning  to  play,  245— The  Cockpit,  247— The  Jail,  248— An  Old 
Acquaintance,  249. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

La  Casa  de  la  Marchesa,  250 — A  Surprise,  253 — The  Monti-Table, 
953— Pedro's  Success,  354. 


CONTENTS.  11 

CHAPTER  V. 

T*edross  Soliloquy,  256. 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Pedro's  Reverse*,  260. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Pedro's  Journey  to  Havana,  262—  The  Herdsmen  of  Cuba,  263—  -Pe- 
iro  in  Havana,  26  1. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Rambles  in  Havana,  267—  The  Plaza  de  Armas,  269—  Ambitioui 
Longings,  270. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Harbour  of  Havana,  272—  The  Plaza  de  ToroS,  873. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Catching  a  Bull,  275. 

CHAPTER  XL 
*The  Bull  Fight,  278-»Baiting  an  Elk,  281. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

An  old  Playfellow,  283—  Don  Justo  Sanches,  285—  Attempted  Asm* 
*nation>  287—  Gratitude,  288. 


CHAPTER 

Old  Sanches's  Story,  289—  A  Relation  discovered,  291—  Good  Fortuiw, 
292—  Conclusion,  893. 


Pdfe 
(UMON  THE  ROVER         •-....  ..3 

THE  FIRST  CAPTURE  ..-.--.  44 

JEREMIAH  STARCH  ...--..,51 

RAMON'S  ACTION  WITH  THE  AMERICANS  OF  THE  MOSQUITO  FLEET  so 

STORMING  OF  THE  MORRO  CASTLE  -  -  -  -  -      88 

THE  PRIEST  GUIDING  THE  SOLDIERS  AND  SAILORS  TO  THE  CATHE 
DRAL          •  f     '       -  -  -  -  -  .  -      03 

BERNARDO  GIVING  RAMON  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  HIS  CRUISE  134 

THE  BRAZILIAN   -        -        -        -        *        -        -        •        -197 

CON  LUIS  PEREIRA  -     ""•'  "     -        *        -       *.-.     ..•       •       2« 
PEDRO  AND  CONCHITA  ------**2» 

PEDRO  RAMBLES  ABOUT  THE  CITY  OF  MATANZAS  -  -  -  844 
THE  REVIEW  IN  THE  PLAZA  DE  ARMAS  -  -  -  •  -  S«J 
PEDRO'S  COUNTRY-SEAT  •••••-•294 


BY  THE  TRANSLAT6R. 


[OT  many  months  ago  I  was  residing  in  the 
city  of  Havana.  I  had  hired  a  couple  of 
neat  rooms,  nearly  opposite  the  residence 
of  the  Count  of  Fernandina,  and  my  land 
lady,  an  old,  withered,  French  Creole,  who 
spoke  a  little  English,  used  to  send  me  up  my 
cup  of  cafe  au  lait  in  the  morning.  I  took 
dinner  generally  at  the  ordinary  of  the 
Fonda  de  Madrid,  a  very  tolerable  Spanish 
coffee-house,  and  in  the  evening  I  used  to  get 
a  very  good  cup  of  chocolate  and  a  roll, 
at  the  public  reading-room,  near  the  Plaza  de  Armas. 
This  is  the  most  comfortable  way  of  living  in  Ha 
vana,  and  as  such  I  would  recommend  it  to  other  travel 
lers.  I  was  an  invalid,  but  could  walk,  ride,  eat,  drink, 
&c.,  almost  as  well  as  other  people.  I  had  some  mer 
cantile  concerns  to  attend  to ;  but  these  were  of  such 
a  nature  as  to  leave  me  almost  entirely  at  leisure,  and 
this  leisure  I  improved  by  looking  about  me  and  observ 
ing  the  manners,  customs,  and  habits  of  the  Hava- 

B  13 


14  SCENE    IN    HAVANA. 

neros.  The  result  of  my  observations  I  mean  to  re 
serve  for  a  magnificent  quarto  of  TRAVELS,  with 
plates,  maps,  plans,  elevations,  et  cetera,  which  I  intend 
to  give  the  world,  as  the  phrase  is,  at  no  very  distant 
day.  My  present  purpose  is  inform  the  public,  how 
I  became  possessed  of  the  original  Spanish  manuscript, 
of  which  the  following  is  a  free  translation ;  and  to 
communicate  briefly  what  I  saw  of  the  interesting  but 
abandoned  individual  to  whom  it  relates. 

I  was  standing  one  afternoon  under  the  balcony 
of  the  Casa  de  Gobierno,  or  Government  House,  the 
residence  of  Governor  Vives,  observing  a  review  of  a 
regiment  of  troops  drawn  up  in  the  Plaza  de  Armas, 
a  beautiful  public  square,  of  which  the  Government 
House  bounds  one  side.  The  troops  were  in  beauti 
ful  order ;  their  uniforms  without  a  speck  of  dust;  their 
arms  like  polished  silver;  the  band  of  fifty  performers 
played  the  finest  Italian  music,  while  the  review  went 
on;  and  the  space  allotted  to  the  parterre  of  flowers  and 
shrubs  in  the  centre  of  the  square  was  crowded  with 
spectators.  The  soldiers  were  drawn  up  on  three  sides 
of  this  parterre ;  and  the  remaining  side,  namely,  the 
before-mentioned  spaee  beneath  the  balcony  of  the 
Government  House,  was  filled  as  usual  with  stalls  for 
the  sale  of  fancy  goods,  canes,  opera-glasses,  plays,  and 
fruits,  and  with  a  lounging  crowd  of  merchants,  civil 
officers,  foreigners,  &c. 

After  moving  about  for  some  time  among  this  motley 
group,  I  had  reclined  against  a  pillar,  and  was  looking 
on  the  military  pageant,  when  my  attention  was  attrac.tr 
ed  by  the  figure  of  a  man  who  stood  before  me,  a  little 


THE    STRANGER.  15 

to  the  right,  and  who  also  seemed  to  be  absorbed  in 
attention  to  the  spectacle  before  us.  There  Was  some 
thing  striking  about  him;  something  that  indicated 
character  and  decision.  His  figure  was  tall  and  com 
manding.  He  stood  with  his  arms  folded  on  his  breast; 
his  brows  knit,  and  his  eyes  directed  straight  forward ; 
except  when  he  occasionally  turned  his  head  aside  and 
cast  a  bold  glance  on  those  about  him.  He  was  dressed 
genteelly,  but  I  observed  that  his  hands  were  toil-worn, 
and  his  countenance  almost  blackened  with  exposure 
to  the  tropical  sun.  His  features  were  strikingly  regu 
lar  and  beautiful;  the  straight  nose,  the  proudly  curl 
ing  lip,  the  expanded  brow,  the  large  black  eye  and 
clustering  raven  locks,  were  there;  and  when  he  smiled, 
(for  I  saw  him  smile  once,)  there  was  something  pecu 
liarly  winning  and  fascinating  in  his  countenance. 

But  I  also  saw  him  frown;  and  I  shall  never  forget 
his  expression  at  that  moment.  It  was  when  an  officer 
of  the  American  navy  passed  before  him.  He  gave 
him  a  look,  that,  if  looks  could  blast,  would  have 
struck  him  to  the  earth,  it  was  so  piercing,  so  withering, 
so  utterly  malignant. 

"Who  can  this  strange  mortal  be?"  thought  I.  A 
flourish  of  trumpets  and  the  filing  off  of  a  company  of 
soldiers  to  the  left  attracted  my  attention  towards 
them ;  and  when  I  turned  again,  he  was  gone. 

I  was  walking  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day  in  the 
Alameda,  a  beautiful  public  walk,  of  great  extent,  out 
side  of  the  city  walls,  planted  with  trees  and  flowering 
shrubs,  and  adorned  with  fountains.  The  side-walks 
were  crowded  with  gay  companies  of  citizens,  in  their 


16  THE    STRANGER. 

holiday  dresses,  and  the  carriage-way  was  filled  with 
coaches  and  volantes,  laden  with  the  beauty  and  fa 
shion  of  Havana.  This  gay  pageant  moved  along  with 
a  measured  step;  and  bands  of  music,  stationed  at 
intervals  on  the  gayly  lighted  grounds,  enlivened  the 
scene.  All  was  mirth  and  hilarity.  I  trod  the  side 
walk  with  a  light  step,  when  suddenly  the  figure  of  the 
same  mysterious  stranger  I  had  seen  in  the  Plaza  d? 
Armas  strode  by  me.  There  was  nothing  of  the  care 
less,  joyous  air  of  those  around  him,  in  his  demeanour; 
but  the  same  fixed  look,  the  same  abstracted  manner 
which  I  had  observed  before.  He  looked  over  the 
heads  of  the  crowd,  as  if  contemplating  some  air-drawn 
dagger,  and  kept  straight  forward  in  his  course,  regard 
less  of  the  bright  glances  and  smiles,  which  others  were 
so  eager  to  catch  from  the  beauties  passing  and  repass- 
4  ing  in  their  carriages,  and  equally  regardless  of  the 
occasional  maledictions,  which  he  received  from  those 
he  jostled  in  his  way. 

Stimulated  by  an  indefinable  curiosity  and  interest, 
I  followed  him.  We  passed  nearly  the  whole  length 
of  the  Alameda  at  a  steady  sort  of  march,  quite  unlike 
the  easy  West  Indian  lounge  which  suited  the  place 
and  the  scene.  He  exchanged  no  salutations  with 
those  who  met  us,  and  appeared  to  recognise  no  friend 
in  the  company  :  he  seemed  a  stranger  there,  though 
his  dress  and  countenance  were  native  to  the  soil. 
Twice  or  thrice  I  saw  persons  draw  aside — almost 
recoil  from  him  as  he  passed. 

"It  is  his  strange  air  that  occasions  this,"  thought 
I.  A  poor,  decrepit  old  negro  had  stolen  his  way  into 


SCENE    ON   THE  ALAMEDA.  17 

' 

the  walk,  and  sat  by  the  side  of  a  fountain,  begging 
His  beseeching  look  attracted  the  stranger's  attention. 
He  stopped  and  surveyed  the  pitiful  object,  covered 
With  sores,  and  emaciated  with  famine  or  sickness. 

"Poor  negro,"  said  he,  in  Spanish,  giving  him  some 
gold,  "with  your  race,  at  least,  I  have  no  quarrel." 

It  was  the  first  time  I  had  heard  him  speak,  and 
his  tones  startled  me.  They  were  the  under-tones  of 
a  very  powerful  voice,  not  loud  but  deep,  muttered  to 
himself,  unconscious  of  a  hearer.  I  could  not  help 
wishing  to  hear  that  voice  utter  a  battle-cry,  amidst 
the  thunders  of  artillery ;  or  rise  above  the  tumultuous 
roarings  of  a  storm  at  sea. 

As  he  turned  away  from  the  beggar,  he,  for  the  first 
time,  observed  me,  but  without  heeding  my  steady 
gaze,  he  passed  forward,  and  was  soon  lost  among  the 
crowd. 

I  stood  rooted  to  the  ground.  "  Is  he  at  war  with 
all  mankind  but  the  degraded  Africans?"  said  I  to 
myself.  I  wished  that  I  knew  more,  or  had  seen  less 
of  this  man.  My  curiosity  was  strongly  excited. 
I  had  not  chosen  to  excite  suspicion,  in  my  turn,  by 
following  him  further  at  that  time ;  but  I  was  now  ful 
ly  resolved  to  know  more  of  him. 

I  accordingly  frequented  every  place  of  public  resort 
— the  theatre,  the  quay,  the  exchange,  the  Plaza  de 
Toros,  or  amphitheatre  for  bull-fights,  and  the  balls 
which  are  given  in  the  public  gambling-houses,  and  are 
frequented  by  the  rich  and  respectable,  as  well  as  by 
sharpers  and  fortune-hunters. 

Still  my  search    was    in  vain.     A  whole  month 
3  "  B2 


18  SPANISH    CHARACTER. 

passed  without  my  seeing  him  again.  My  business  in 
Havana  was  completed.  I  delayed  my  departure  a 
week,  in  hopes  of  meeting  the  stranger,  and  in  the  long 
interval  of  suspense  and  impatience  had  nearly  wrought 
myself  into  a  determination  to  seek  his  confidence,  and 
ask  for  the  hidden  cause  of  his  abstraction  and  seeming 
mystery  A  most  Quixotic  notion,  truly;  for  a  Spa 
niard,  or  the  descendant  of  a  Spaniard,  courteous  and 
generous  though  he  be,  is  always  secret — impenetrable 
alike  to  blandishments  and  threats.  If  you  would  avoid 
his  resentment,  touch  not  his  honour;  meddle  not  with 
his  secrets.  The  poorest  Montero  of  Cuba,  or  the 
common  sailor  of  a  Spanish  man-of-war  has  a  sense 
of  honour,  which  he  is  ever  ready  to  vindicate  with  his 
blood;  and  his  first  maxim  in  the  intercourse  of  life 
is— "Hush!" 

My  passage  was  engaged  in  a  brig  bound  to  New 
York,  and  she  was  to  sail  on  the  morrow.  In  the  dusk 
of  evening  I  had  strolled  into  the  Cathedral  Square, 
and,  seeing  the  doors  of  the  cathedral  open,  I  entered. 
The  place  is  suited  to  contemplation.  It  is  a  spot  of 
high  and  heroic  recollection;  for  here  rest  the  ashes 
of  Columbus.  Behind  a  marble  hatchment,  adorned 
with  an  alto-relievo  bust  of  the  illustrious  Genoese, 
are  deposited  his  mortal  remains;  and  the  splendid 
altar  of  white  marble  of  Carrara,  which  has  recently 
been  raised  a  few  feet  from  it,  will  be  less  attractive  to 
the  stranger,  than  this  simple  monument  of  a  truly 
great  man. 

As  I  turned  from  reading  the  Spanish  inscription 
beneath  the  bust  of  Columbus,  I  heard  a  deep  sigh, 


THE    MVSTERIODS    STRANGER.  19 

almost  a  groan,  from  a  neighbouring  confessional.  I 
started;  for  I  had  supposed  myself  alone  in  the  place 
of  devotion.  After  looking  steadily  for  a  few  minutes, 
I  observed  a  priest  retiring  from  the  confessional ;  and 
at  the  same  moment  there  rose  from  an  attitude  of  the 
deepest  humiliation,  in  which  he  had  been  confessing 
his  sins  to  the  priest,  and  hoping  to  reconcile  himself 
with  Heaven — the  mysterious  stranger. 

His  proud  look  and  haughty  step  were  gone.  He 
seemed  bowed  down  with  the  sense  of  sin;  but  his 
Herculean  form  and  the  striking  contour  of  his  head 
identified  him.  As  he  was  hurrying  past  without  ob 
serving  me,  he  drew  his  hand  from  his  bosom  and  let 
fall  something;  but  in  the  agitation  of  his  mind  the  loss 
was  unnoticed.  In  another  moment  he  was  past  the 
threshold  of  the  cathedral. 

I  followed  him,  and  found  upon  the  floor  the  article 
be  had  dropped.  It  was  a  manuscript  in  the  Spanish 
language,  neatly  sewed  together  like  a  pamphlet,  but 
without  a  title.  I  had  no  time  to  examine  further. 
My  first  impulse,  of  course,  was  to  restore  it;  and  I 
hurried  out  of  the  church  in  hopes  of  overtaking  him. 
But  he  had  disappeared  from  the  street;  the  evening 
was  advancing;  and  it  was  impossible  to  tell  which 
way  he  had  gone. 

On  second  thoughts,  I  put  the  manuscript  in  my 
pocket,  supposing  that  possibly  it  might  satisfy  my  curi 
osity  concerning  the  person  who  had  lost  it.  "  If  it 
should,"  I  said  to  myself,  "  it  will  be  indeed  a  treasure." 

I  called  to  take  leave  of  some  friends  in  the  city, 
•nd  stayed  till  a  late  hour  in  the  evening ;  went  on  board 


O  THE    MANUSCRIPT. 

weary  and  nervous ;  crept  into  my  berth,  after  deposit 
ing  my  new-found  treasure  in  the  inmost  recess  of  my 
portable  desk;  fell  asleep,  and  dreamed  that  I  saw  the 
stranger  menacing  me  with  a  dagger,  and  demanding 
his  manuscript. 

I  woke  and  heard  the  mate  announcing  the  hour, 
four  o'clock;  then  slept  soundly  till  nine  o'clock  next 
morning,  when  we  were  fairly  past  the  Morro  Castle. 
All  the  bustle  of  weighing  anchor,  hoisting  sails,  and 
answering  the  challenges  of  the  guard-ship  had  failed 
to  disturb  my  slumbers. 

I  now  drew  forth  my  treasure,  and  began  to  peruse 
it.  Reader,  imagine  my  delight.  As  I  proceeded,  I 
found  that  it  was  nothing  less  interesting  than  the  per 
sonal  narrative  of  the  far-famed  RAMON,  THE 
PIRATE  OF  CUBA,  whose  very  name  has  long  been 
a  terror  throughout  the  Western  Archipelago;  a 
scourge  to  the  commerce  of  all  nations ;  but  the  special 
enemy  of  my  own  countrymen— a  monster,  if  I  might 
believe  the  report  of  my  captain,  who  had  once  re 
ceived  a  sound  drubbing  from  him  for  not  discovering 
where  he  had  hidden  certain  boxes  of  doubloons — and 
4<  quite  a  gentleman,"  according  to  the  report  of  certain 
ladies  I  had  seen  in  New  Orleans,  who  declared  that 
he  spared  their  watches,  when  he  boarded  the  ship  in 
which  they  were  passengers,  and  very  chivalrously  told 
them  that  he  did  not  make  war  with  the  ladies. 

Indeed,  one  of  these  same  ladies,  who  was  verging 
on  I  do  not  know  what  age,  but  who  was  certainly 
out  of  her  teens,  and  a  little  imbued  with  the  spirit 
of  romance,  really  seemed  to  have  taken  quite  a  fancy 


THE   TRANSLATION.  £1 

to  this  renowned  Ramon.  If  she  should  happen  to 
meet  with  the  following  translation  of  his  narrative, 
she  will  see  that  there  was  a  dash  of  heroism,  mingled 
with  touches  of  humanity  and  true  gallantry  about  the 
man,  which  would  furnish  quite  a  handsome  apology 
for  a  lady's  admiration. 

On  my  voyage  to  New  York  I  translated  the  pirate's 
narrative,  and  have  taken  the  liberty  to  add  a  few 
notes,  where  my  own  acquaintance  with  the  customs  or 
productions  of  Cuba  has  enabled  me  to  explain  pas 
sages,  which  might  otherwise  be  unintelligible  to  the 
general  reader. 

With  the  sentiments,  principles,  and  opinions  of  this 
famous  outlaw,  I  felt  that  I  had  nothing  to  do,  but  to 
present  them  faithfully  to  the  reader  as  I  found  them 
in  the  original.  I  was  not  very  well  qualified  for  the 
office  of  a  commentator  on  such  matters.  I  should 
hardly  have  done  Ramon  justice,  had  I  attempted  it; 
for,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  was  once  within  an  ace  of  having 
my  own  throat  cut,  as  I  was  sailing  on  the  north  coast 
of  Cuba,  and  I  have  something  more  than  a  suspicion, 
that  my  sentiments  with  respect  to  those  worthy 
gentlemen,  the  pirates,  are  not  the  most  libel*!*  By 
their  deeds  let  them  be  judged.  The  reader  may  admire 
or  abhor  them,  just  as  he  pleases.  Chacun  a  sesfunettes. 


ititttittittiittiitt* 


oo     o     o  o     o     oo-oooo 
o        o     o        o     o        o        o   .     o 


©IF 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    CAVERN. EARLY    LIFE    OF    DON    RAMON. 

THIS  villanous  wound !  Grant  me  pa 
tience,  Heaven !  To  think  of.  it !  A 
man  of  my  mettle  to  be  cooped  up  in 
this  vile  cavern,  unable  to  move;  and 
with  only  an  old  Creole  woman  to 
take  care  of  me,  while  my  crew  are 
gloriously  chastising  the  enemy.  And 
then  the  cause  of  all  my  trouble  !  If 
I  had  had  my  leg  broken  by  a  cannon- 
ball,  or  a  grape-shot,  I  could  have 
borne  it  with  some  show  of  philosophy;  but  to  be 
pitched  over  a  precipice  by  a  restive  mule ;  hauled  out 
from  among  the  rocks  by  a  runaway  negro ;  and  when 
my  crew  came  up,  and  lodged  me  safe  in  our  secret 
cavern,  that  they  should  be  obliged  to  abandon  me 
while  they  went  off  on  a  capital  enterprise, — 0,  it  is 
too  much ! 

Santa  Maria  !    What  shall  I  do  with  myself  now,  for 


24  RAMON  WRITES  HIS  LIFE. 

a  whole  tedious  month.  Old  Rosa,  to  do  her  justice,  is 
an  excellent  nurse,  and  knows  two-thirds  as  much  as  our 
surgeon.  He  set  the  fractured  limb — if  he  has  not  done 
it  well — if  there  should  be  the  sign  of  a  crook  or  twist 
in  it,  when  the  thing  is  healed,  I'll  hang  the  scoun 
drel  at  the  yard-arm. 

But  old  Rosa  will  take  care  of  it.  She  is  the  phoenix 
of  nurses.  The  cavern  is  well  stored,  too,  and  I  might 
make  myself  comfortable,  if  I  only  had  something  to 
do.  I  have  it!  Rosa!  bring  here  that  small  writing 
concern;  that  something  between  a  portfolio  and  a 
writing-desk,  which  was  presented  me,  albeit  rather 
against  his  will,  by  the  German  captain,  last  cruise. 

t  is  the  thing.  There!  I  am  obliged  to  sit  bolt 
upright  in  bed,  you  know ;  and  here,  good  Rosa,  I 
will  amuse  myself  with  writing.  Hang  that  great 
argand  lamp  right  over  the  bed.  There !  that  will 
do.  There ;  go,  Rosa.  Prepare  me  some  sago.  Put 
in  some  of  that  old  sherry  that  came  out  of  the  Phila 
delphia  brig.  Stop,  hand  me  a  supply  of  those  cigars. 
The  Dos  Amigos  box,  you  wretch !  Do  you  think  I 
would  smoke  Flint's  cigars, — cigars  made  by  a  Yan 
kee?  Ah!  these  are  the  sort.  That  is  a  beautiful  old 
Rose.  There,  go! 

Now  I'll  write  my  own  life.  Just  for  the  whim  of 
the  thing,  I'll  write  a  history  of  my  cruises.  Caesar 
wrote  his  commentaries.  Bonaparte  began  something 
of  the  kind,  and  why  should  not  I?  I,  I,  the  unlicensed 
warrior.  They  braved  death:  but  I  have  braved 
infamy.  And  I  will  brave  it  again.  My  vengeance 
is  but  half-finished ;  for  half  my  deeds  arc  unknown. 


HIS  PARENTAGE.  25 

The  world  shall  know  how  much  mischief  I  have  done. 
Sooner  or  later  they  shall  hear  of  me  the  whole  story. 
I  will  finish  this  narrative  up  to  the  present  time,  while 
I  am  confined  with  this  rascally  wound.  I  will  keep 
the  papers  always  about  my  person,  and  continue  the 
story  till  I  retire  from  active  life,  and  commence  the 
world  as  a  private  citizen,  a  quiet  member  of  society, 
which  I  intend  to  do  in  three  or  four  years.  Then  I 
will  deposit  the  papers  with  my  confessor  in  Ha 
vana,  to  be  published  when  I  shall  have  been  dead  ten 
years.* 

Now  for  it. 

I  was  born  in  the  eternally  faithful  island  of  Cuba, 
as  the  governor's  proclamations  call  it;  not  a  thousand 

miles  from  Havana,  and  my  name  is  Ramon .  No! 

I  will  not  tell  the  whole  of  my  name.  The  name  which 
the  holy  church  gave  me  at  my  baptism,  may  be  known. 
It  is  that  which  I  am  known  by  among  my  comrades, 
and  my  enemies.  Ramon!  It  has  ~been  the  war-cry 
of  many  a  bloody  contest.  But  that  revered  name 
which  a  monarch  of  Spain  conferred,  with  a  fair  title, 
on  an  illustrious  ancestor  of  mine,  shall  never  ring- 
through  the  world  as  the  name  of  a  pirate.  That  secret 
at  least  shall  go  down  to  the  grave  with  me. 

But  the  time  will  fail  me  if  I* digress  from  the 
straight  line  of  my  narrative.  My  father  was  the 
younger  son  of  a  nobleman.  He  owned  a  fair  sugar 
estate,  which  yielded  about  fifty  thousand  dollars  yearly. 
He  had  two  sons,  of  whom  I  am  the  younger. 

*  Ramon  is  likely  to  give  the  world  his  adventures  rather  sooner  than 
he  had  expected — TV. 

4  C 


26  HIS   EDUCATION. 

It  is  through  the  early  care  which  my  father  be 
stowed  on  our  education  that  I  am  now  able  to  speak 
the  English  and  French  languages  as  well  as  my  ver 
nacular  Spanish;  and  that  we  were  both  tolerably 
well  versed  in  polite  literature  and  the  sciences  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one. 

I  had  a  fondness  for  the  lighter  accomplishments, 
and  learned  to  play  on  the  guitar,  to  sing,  to  fence,  to 
waltz,  and  make  verses  ;  and,  what  has  been  of  vastly 
more  service  to  me,  I  early  acquired  a  taste  for  botany, 
which  by  taking  me  on  long  excursions  about  the  island, 
on  horseback  and  on  foot,  in  the  rainy  and  in  the  dry 
season,  has  given  me  a  power  of  endurance  and  a  phy 
sical  hardihood  which  belongs  to  few  men  of  my  age. 

I  was  on  one  of  these  excursions,  on  foot,  and  but  a  few 
leagues  from  my  father's  estate,  when,  in  climbing  after 
a  parasite  plant  which  was  growing  on  a  branch  of  cedar 
that  hung  over  a  river,  I  had  the  misfortune  to  break 
the  bough  and  fall  headlong  into  the  stream. 

The  noise  and  splashing  occasioned  by  my  fall 
brought  a  party  of  revellers,  who  where  whiling  away 
the  dry  season  in  that  neighbourhood,  to  my  assistance ; 
and  I  was  speedily  pulled  out,  dripping  and  badly 
bruised,  for  the  water  was  shallow  and  the  bottom 
rocky. 

I  was  carried  to  the  *rancho  of  Don 1  had  al- 


*  It  is  a  very  common  practice  for  planters  and  gentlemen  of  Cuba,  to 
take  their  families  to  the  vicinity  of  some  chalybeate  spring,  or,  if  none  is 
near,  to  the  banks  of  a  river,  for  the  convenience  of  bathing,  through  the  dry 
season.  Here  they  build  a  rude  hut,  called  a  rancho,  and  spend  their  time 
in  a  round  of  amusements.  There  are  usually  twenty  or  thirty  families 


FALLS    IN    LOVE.  27 

most  written  his  name, — a  friend  of  my  father ;  and 
before  I  had  completely  recovered  my  senses,  I  was 
stretched  upon  a  bed  and  surrounded  by  anxious 
friends  administering  a  hundred  different  remedies  for 
my  hurts. 

The  first  thing  I  recollect  after  my  fall  is  the  feeling 
of  a  soft  hand,  chafing  my  temples.  I  opened  my  eyes. 
What  a  lovely,  heavenly  countenance  was  beaming 
pity  and  tenderness  upon  me !  I  shall  never  forget  its 
expression.  O  !  that  I  could  forget  it.  Death  and 
destruction !  But  I  must  be  calm,  and  stifle  sad 
remembrances. 

It  was  the  daughter  of  my  father's  friend.  ^She 
attended  me  herself,  till  I  was  able  to  walk.  She 
had  recently  returned  from  the  United  States,  where 
she  was  educated,  and  I  had  never  seen  her  since  our 
childhood.  I  loved  her.  She  returned  my  passion. 
I  asked  the  consent  of  our  parents  to  our  union ;  and 
received  for  answer  that  they  had  long  before  agreed 
that  she  should  marry  my  brother. 

Then  I  knew  that  my  fate  was  sealed.  For  although 
I  loved  that  brother,  and  had  never  done  him  wrong, 
he  was  my  inflexible  and  determined  enemy.  Why,  I 
know  not.  But  it  was  so.  He  never  spoke  me  fair, 
nor  treated  me  with  brotherly  affection. 

Many  and  many  were  the  slights  and  taunts  I  had 
received  from  him ;  many  the  ill  offices  he  had  done 
me  with  my  father.  I  knew  full  well  that  he  would 

insist  on  his  right  to  the  fair  Juanita,  were  it  only  to 
< 

assembled  in  one  spot;  and  the  more  celebrated  watering-places  are 
crowded  with  visitors  of  this  sort. — TV. 


28  A    DILEMMA. 

thwart  and  madden  me ;  and  I  knew  moreover  that 
my  father  never  revoked  his  word  of  honour.  He 
would  have  married  either  of  us  to  the  witch  of  Endor, 
if  his  word  had  once  been  passed  to  do  so. 

With  such  persons,  it  would  have  been  vain  to  plead 
our  innocent  attachment.  There  was  but  one  course 
left  for  us,  and  that  was  instant  flight.  A  three  hours' 
ride  would  bring  us  to  Havana,  and  we  migM  embark 
for  some  foreign  country.  I  had  arrived  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  the  week  before ;  and  had  received  a  lega 
cy  of  a  thousand  doubloons  from  my  grandmother, 
which  was  in  the  hands  of  a  trusty  banker  in  the  city. 
With  this  sum  we  might  live  in  a  quiet  way,  in  the 
United  States.  "  Could  we  but  escape,  how  happy 
we  might  be." 

These  were  the  very  words  I  whispered  in  Juanita's 
ear,  that  same  evening,  after  I  had  received  the  chilling 
answer  from  my  father.  For  I  was  still  permitted  to 
see  her ;  and  my  brother,  secure  in  his  right,  his  right, 
forsooth,  had  scarcely  deigned  to  trouble  himself  at  all 
about  the  affair ;  supposing,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that 
I,  who  had  always  yielded  to  him,  and  had  only  been 
distinguished  hitherto  by  my  readiness  to  give  up  any 
thing  which  his  happiness  required,  should  of  course 
step  aside  and  withdraw  my  pretensions  the  moment  I 
was  apprized  how  matters  stood. 

He  did  not  know  me.  None  of  them  had  properly 
estimated  my  calibre.  Because  I  was  a  kind-hearted, 
generous  youth,  they  supposed  that  I  had  none  of  the 
old  Castilian  blood  in  me.  Because  I  had  denied  my 
self  for  others'  good,  had  given  up  what  properly  per- 


THE    RESOLUTION.  £9 

tained  to  me,  some  hundred  times,  to  satisfy  my 
brother's  whims,  they  thought  that  I  would  look  tame 
ly  on,  and  see  her  happiness  blasted,  who  was  a  million 
times  dearer  to  me  than  the  light — the  blessed  air — 
life  itself. 

But  they  reckoned  without  their  host.  Juanita 
hated  my  brother  for  his  repeated  injuries  of  me.  I 
knew  it,  and  sooner  than  give  her  up  to  drag  out  a 
wretched  existence  with  him,  I  would  have  immolated 
her,  dear  as  she  was  to  me. 

For  three  days  I  remained  at  home,  lounging  about 
the  estate,  and  gathering  plants  as  usual,  to  avoid  all 
suspicion  of  my  intentions.  But  during  this  time,  I 
took  care  to  apprize  Juanita  of  my  intended  flight,  and 
concert  the  manner  of  it,  at  an  evening  interview, 
when  we  stole  into  the  plantain  walk,  while  the  rest 
of  the  family  were  promenading  in  the  garden. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day,  I  carelessly  re 
marked  to  my  father,  that  I  intended  to  go  on  a  bota 
nizing  excursion  the  next  morning,  and  should  take 
with  me  a  servant,  and  two  horses,  as  was  frequently 
my  custom.  This  was  to  prevent  suspicion  at  my  ab 
sence.  He  only  replied,  "Very  well !" 

My  brother  was  present,  and  I  thought  I  saw  a  half 
smile  on  his  lip,  and  a  "lurking  devil  in  his  eye,"  as  I 
mentioned  my  intention.  But  it  gave  me  no  uneasiness 
at  the  moment. 

I  retired  to  my  bed  early ;  rose  quietly  at  midnight, 
and,  attended  by  a  faithful  slave,  proceeded  on  horseback 
to  a  neighbouring  estate,  where  Juanita  was  visiting. 
I  met  her  in  a  citron  grove  at  some  distance  from 

r*   <•) 


30  THE    ELOPEMENT. 

house.     She  was  attended  by  a  single  slave,  and  was 
mounted  on  her  own  favourite  mule. 

Her  part  of  the  plot  had  been  less  bunglingly  per- . 
formed  than  mine.  For  she  had  left  the  house  where 
she  had  been  visiting,  at  ten  o'clock,  to  ride  home,  and 
had  returned  to  the  citron  grove,  not  far  from  this 
house,  by  a  circuitous  route,  and  waited  for  my  arrival. 
No  one,  but  the  slave  who  attended  her,  knew  her 
secret.  The  people  whom  she  had  been  visiting,  sup 
posed  that  she  had  gone  home ;  and  her  parents  sup 
posed  that  her  visit  was  to  last  a  week  longer. 

We  set  off  on  the  direct  road  to  Havana.  That 
was  a  capital  error,  as  the  event  proved. 

The  moon  shone  brightly ;  the  evening  breeze  was 
cool  and  refreshing ;  the  songs  of  the  muleteers  whom 
we  passed  on  the  road,  rose  cheerily  as  we  cantered 
along ;  and  my  Juanita's  jetty  curls  glittered  in  the 
moonlight  as  she  gayly  turned  and  nodded  to  me,  to 
give  assurance  that  she  was  nothing  daunted  at  the 
perilous  nature  of  our  undertaking. 

We  had  ridden  two  hours.  "  One  hour  more, 
dearest  Juanita,  and  we  shall  be  safe.  I  can  baffle  the 
keenest  pursuit,  when  we  are  once  arrived  in  the  city." 

The  words  were  scarcely  uttered,  when  the  hard 
trampling  of  horses  came  upon  our  ears.  We  hurried 
on.  The  sound  drew  nearer.  We  approached  a 
narrow  road  turning  directly  into  the  woods  on  our 
left,  and  hurried  into  this  dark  avenue  for  concealment. 

Wre  were  too  late.  Before  we  had  advanced  fifty 
rods  on  this  road,  they  were  upon  us — my  brother, 
And  a  dozen  armed  ruffians.  I  knew  not  who  they 


A    RENCONTRE.  31 

were.  I  never  saw  them  before.  When  they  were 
close  upon  us,  we  turned  about  and  faced  them.  My 
first  salutation  was  the  heavy  stroke  of  a  machete,* 
which  I  warded  off;  at  the  same  time  wounding  the 
ruffian  who  aimed  it  at  my  head. 

Next  came  a  pistol  shot.  My  faithful  slave — too 
faithful  Pedro  ! — struck  away  the  weapon  which  was 
pointed  at  my  breast  It  went  off  and  missed  me ; 
but  a  shriek  from  behind  me,  gave  assurance  that  it 
had  taken  effect  in  a  dearer,  softer  bosom.  O  !  what 
a  heart  have  I,  that  I  can  sit  here,  even  fifteen  years 
afterwards,  and  write  these  things  ! 

I  turned  my  head  and  saw  Juanita  fall  from  her 
horse.  From  that  moment,  I  became  frantic;  and 
dealt  about  my  thrusts,  without  caring  who  might  re 
ceive  them,  until  a  heavy  blow  on  the  head,  tumbled 
me  from  my  horse,  and  laid  me  senseless  on  the 
ground. 

•  A  long,  straight  sword,  universally  worn  by  the  country  people,  or 
Monleros,  of  Cuba. — TV. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ADVERSITY. THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD. 

E  recollection  of  these  events  agitates 
and  wearies   me.     It  shakes  my  whole 
frame,  and  increases  the  irritation  of  my 
wound.     But  I  have  begun ;  and  I  sel 
dom  turn  back  from  an  enterprise,  how 
ever   laborious   or   painful.     To   fight, 
to  seek  new  adventures  in  the  teeth  of 
peril,  is  nothing  to  me  compared  with 
that  most  excruciating  act — toremember. 
The  shriek  of  Juanita — that  last  death- 
cry, — rings  at  this  moment  in  my  ears  ! 
0  that  I  could  forget  it.     I  have  sought 
to  drown  the  remembrance  of  those  early 
passages  of  my  life  which  I  have  been  narrating,  in 
the  sounds  of  battle,  and  to  forget  myself — the  past — 
every  ihinj:,  in  a  life  of  action   and  adventure.     But  I 
cannot  still  the  voice  within  me.     I  cannot  banish  the 
heavenly  face  of  her  I  loved  from  my  dreams.     0  ! 
how  much  more  painful  is  the  sense  of  happiness  lost, 
than  that  of  -present  suffering.     This  rouses  up  the 
spirit  of  a  man  to  resistance  or  fortitude — that  causes 
his  soul  to  sink  within  him.     But  it  is  vain  for  me  tc 
Deflect.     I  must  go  on. 


THE    FAITHFUL    NEGRO. 

The  first  thing  which  I  recollect,  on  recovering 
from  my  swoon,  was  seeing  the  figure  of  ray  faithful 
Servant  Pedro,  bending  over  me  as  I  lay  upon  the 
ground.  He  held  his  hat  in  his  hand,  and  sprinkling 
cold  water  from  it  on  my  face.  The  momeni  I  open 
ed  my  eyes,  he  droppecj  his  hat,  and  began  to  dance 
with  joy. 

"  Massa  no  dead  !  massa  get  well  again,"  said  he. 
Then,  commanding  his  emotions,  he  came  and,  raising 
me  up,  administered  a  draught  of  aguadiente*  from  a 
flask  which  he  carried  in  his  bosom. 

This  faithful  negro,  who  was  of  the  Mandingo  tribe, 
and  whose  courage  was  only  exceeded  by  his  affection 
for  me,  was  for  years  my  only  earthly  friend.  He  fell 
in  battle  by  my  side.  There  are  two  duties  which  I 
still  owe  him, — to  record  his  worth,  and  to  revenge  his 
death.  May  my  right  hand  perish,  if  I  fail  to  do  both ! 

To  his  affectionate  care,  on  the  occasion  of  which  I 
am  now  writing,  I  owe  mv  life.  He  carried  me  to  a 
cavernf  in  the  woods  near  the  spot  where  I  fell ;  leav 
ing  on  the  ground,  I  had  half-forgotten  to  mention, 
the  dead  bodies  of  two  of  the  ruffians  with  whom  we 
had  fought  The  remainder  had  retreated,  carrying 
the  corpse  of  my  beloved  Juanita ;  and  left  Pedro  un 
disputed  master  of  the  field. 

*  Agua  ardiente,  burning  water,  the  name  applied  to  the  new  rum  ot 
Cuba. 

f  The  reader  will  notice  the  frequent  mention  of  caverns  in  this  narra 
tive.  The  fact  is,  that  Cuba,  being  a  limestone  country,  is  perforated 
with  them  in  every  direction.  I  have  visited  three  on  one  -state  of  no 
great  extent.  They  frequently  serve  as  strong-holds  for  «'  tvray  negroe* 
•nd  banditti.— TV. 

5 


84  THE    FAITHFUL    NEGRO. 

A  whole  week  he  attended  me,  before  I  could  walk. 
He  dressed  my  wounds  and  bruises,  brought  me  pro 
visions,  which  he  managed  to  plunder  in  the  night 
from  a  neighbouring  plantation ;  and  at  the  expiration 
of  two  weeks,  when  I  was  able  to  ride,  had  every  thing 
in  readiness  for  my  departure  to  Havana. 

It  was  in  the  night  when  I  set  out.  He  guided  me 
out  of  the  woods  into  the  main  road.  I  was  mounted 
on  my  own  horse.  Pedro  had  saved  him,  but  lost  that 
on  which  he  himself  had  been  mounted. 

When  we  came  to  the  king's  highway  which  leads 
to  Havana,  I  held  out  my  hand  to  take  leave  of  him. 

"  Good-bye,  Pedro,"  said  I ;  "  go  home  to  my  father. 
Tell  him  I  am  dead.  You  will  easily  get  your  pardon 
for  running  away  with  me.  I  shall  never  forget  your 
kindness,  Pedro,  nor  shall  I  ever  see  your  face  again." 

"  No,  no,  massa,"  replied  he,  "  Pedro  will  go  witlj 
Don  Ramon." 

"  Go  with  me  ?  why,  I  am  an  outlaw,  a  fugitive,  a 
beggar,  for  aught  I  know.  I  am  not  able  to  support  a 
servant.  You  would  lead  a  pretty  life  of  it  with  such 
a  master.  I  cannot  wrong  you  so  much.  Go  home 
to  my  father,  and  be  comfortable  and  happy." 

"  No,  Pedro  must  go  with  massa.  Pedro  support 
himself,  and  take  care  of  massa  when  he  sick.  Pedro 
has  no  wife,  no  child  on  the  estate,  and  love  only  you. 
Kill  Pedro,  if  you  will,  but  no  drive  him  away." 

There  was  no  resisting  such  an  appeal ;  and  so  we 
jogged  slowly  along  towards  the  city  together.  In  an 
unfrequented  part  of  the  suburbs  we  found  a  lodging, 
or  rather  a  hiding-place,  suited  to  the  uncertain  state 


xLOSS    OF    PROPERTY.  35 

of  my  affairs,  where  we  could  elude  pursuit,  and  take 
time  to  consider  what  was  next  to  be  done. 

My  first  business,  the  next  morning,  was  to  wait 
upon  my  banker  at  his  house ;  and  I  took  special  care 
to  see  him  alone,  and  without  announcing  myself. 

The  moment  he  entered  the  parlour  where  I  was 
waiting  for  him,  he  started  back  with  a  look  of  horror ; 
but  on  seeing  me  smile,  he  came  forward,  and,  hurrying 
me  into  a  sort  of  study  adjoining,  he  locked  the  door, 
and  instantly  began  to  pour  forth  congratulations  and 
thanks  to  the  Holy  Virgin  that  I  was  alive. 

From  him  I  learned  that  my  father  and  my  precious 
brother  had  come  to  the  city,  the  day  after  my  flight 
and  fall ;  they  had  given  out  that  I  had  been  murdered 
by  robbers,  had  made  considerable  bustle  about  dis 
covering  my  murderers;  and,  to  crown  the  whole,  had 
taken  my  property  out  of  the  banker's  hands  and  re 
turned  to  the  country. 

Whether  my  brother  had  persuaded  my  father  into 
a  belief  that  I  was  dead ;  or  had  informed  him  that  I 
had  probably  escaped,  and  induced  him  to  hush  up  the 
matter  by  spreading  a  report  of  my  death ;  or  how  the 
father  of  Juanita  had  been  pacified,  and  her  death  ac 
counted  for,  I  could  not  learn.  One  thing,  however, 
was  certain ;  namely,  that  henceforward  I  was  to  con 
sider  myself  an  outcast  from  my  family,  and  was  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  ruined  and  beggared. 

My  brother  had  long  been  implacable.  There  was 
sufficient  evidence  that  he  had  induced  my  father  to 
cast  me  off,  or  to  regard  me  as  dead.  Should  I 
attempt  to  regain  my  property  by  recourse  to  the  law, 


86  FRIENDS. 

I  should  infallibly  be  outbid  in  bribes,*  or  perhaps 
dragged  to  prison  on  a  criminal  charge,  in  consequence 
of  my  encounter  in  the  woods. 

I  told  the  broker  the  real  facts  of  the  case,  and  as  he 
had  always  appeared  friendly  to  me,  I  asked  him  for  a 
loan  of  fifty  doubloons  till  I  should  be  able  to  raise  the 
wind.  He  had  most  unfortunately  paid  away  his  last 
doubloon  that  morning.  I  offered  to  call  on  the  mor 
row  ;  but  unluckily  he  had  five  thousand  doubloons  to 
make  out,  the  very  day  after,  and  regretted  exceedingly, 
was  quite  in  despair  to  think  of  it,  that  it  would  be 
utterly,  completely,  and  entirely  out  of  his  power  to 
oblige  me  at  that  time. 

N.  B.  This  banker  was  reputed  to  be  worth  three 
millions  of  dollars. 

I  stared  at  him,  and  wished  him  a  very  good  morn 
ing.  There  was  no  danger  of  his  mentioning  the  fact 
of  having  seen  me,  because  he  could  not  make  any 
money  by  the  discovery.  Besides,  I  had  been  careful 
not  to  tell  him  my  place  of  concealment. 

After  this  I  found  means  to  visit  secretly  six  differ 
ent  merchants  in  the  city,  all  of  whom  were  entirely 
out  of  cash,  if  I  might  believe  their  statements ;  and 
most  of  them  had  heavy  payments  to  make  the  day 
after  I  called  on  them.  Yet  they  were  all  my  particu 
lar  friends,  and  had,  in  former  times,  drunk  my  cham- 
paigne  and  smoked  my  cigars. 

*  I  am  not  sufficiently  versed  in  the  legal  proceedings  of  Cuba,  to 
speak  from  personal  knowledge ;  but  I  have  frequently  heard  the  venality 
of  their  judges  and  magistrates  complained  of;  and  I  presume  that  Ramon 
had  little  to  expect  from  them  in  his  destitute  condition. — TV. 


RAMON    SWEARS    REVENGE. 


37 


I  applied  to  two  sea-captains,  whom  I  had  formerly 
entertained  at  my  father's  house,  for  a  loan  of  ten 
doubloons,  and  was  civilly  refused! 

In  my  rage  and  disappointment,  I  swore  revenge 
against  the  whole  race  of  merchants  and  sailors ;  and 
resolved  to  lay  them  under  contribution  in  a  different 
style.  It  is  bad  policy  to  affront  a  man  whose  circum 
stances  are  desperate.  Most  of  those  men  who  trou 
upon  me  in  my  hour  of  adversity  have  since  paid  dearly 
for  it. 


D 


CHAPTER  III. 

HOW   TO   MAKE    UP   A   PIRATICAL    CREW    IN    HAVANA. 


are  thousands  of  persons  in  Havana, 
who  rise  in  the  morning  without  know 
ing  how  they  are  to  subsist  through  the 
day.  Many  of  them  would  not  carry 
a  burden  one  mile,  for  money  enough 
to  support  them  a  month.  But  these 
wear  long  knives  in  their  bosoms,  and  frequent  blind 
alleys  at  twilight. 

Others  are  willing  to  do  trifling  errands  ;  and  two 
rials*  will  support  them  as  many  days.  Plantains 
and  bits  of  sugar-cane  are  cheap  articles.  Indeed, 
every  thing  is  cheap  but  bread,  meat,  fish,  and  cigars. 
But  a  Havanero,  of  the  poor  class,  can  live  without 
any  of  these  except  the  last;  and  a  fellow  who  earns 
or  steals  two  rials  a  day,  will  lay  out  three-fourths  of 
that  sum  in  cigars,  and  purchase  his  other  necessaries 
with  the  rest.  They  can  sleep  anywhere  in  our 
delicious  climate. 

All  these  paupers  gamble.  I  have  seen  a  fellow 
whose  earthly  possessions  amounted  to  one  doubloon, 
risk  it  all,  where  he  knew  there  were  thirty-six  chances 

*  Twenty-five  cents. 

38 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  HAVANEROS.        39 

to  one,  against  him.  I  have  seen  others  part  with 
dollar  after  dollar  till  all  their  money  was  gone  ;  and 
then  pawn  or  sell  different  articles  of  their  clothing  till 
they  were  nearly  naked,  before  they  would  quit  the 
roulette  table. 

Then  wo  be  to  the  defenceless  wayfarer,  who  shall 
meet  them  in  the  streets  by  night.  Their  knives  they 
never  part  with. 

Out  of  this  class  of  the  good  people  of  Havana  and 
other  cities  in  the  West  Indies,  are  composed  a  great 
proportion  of  those  crews  of  rovers  who  obtain  a  very 
genteel  subsistence  by  exacting  tribute  from  merchant 
vessels. 

After  attentively  and  philosophically  considering  the 
circumstances  of  mankind  in  general  and  myself  in  par 
ticular,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  wise 
and  expedient  for  me  to  raise  a  crew  from  among  these 
gentlemen  of  leisure  and  commence  rover.  Perhaps  I 
might  have  been  stimulated  to  this  determination  in 
some  measure  by  the  polite  treatment  I  had  received 
from  my  kind  friends,  the  merchants  and  captains. 
Indeed,  I  know,  and  will  not  disguise  that  this  was 
the  fact. 

It  is  a  part  of  my  morality  to  pay  in  kind.  I  have 
seldom,  if  ever,  failed  to  requite  a  favour  or  an  injury, 
to  return  a  compliment  or  an  insult. 

It  is  true  I  was  no  seaman,  and  have  never  become 
well  versed  in  nautical  matters;  but  I  could  fight. 
I  resolved  therefore  to  have  my  sailing-master,  and  to 
be  fighting  captain  myself.  My  resolution  may  appear 
singular  and  bold ;  especially  when  it  is  recollected 


40  RAMON    COLLECTS    A    CREW. 

that  it  was  taken  at  a  moment  when  I  was  destitute  of 
the  means  of  purchasing  even  a  boat,  and  had  but  one 
adherent,  and  he  an  African.  But  Pizarro  projected 
the  conquest  of  Peru  in  quite  as  destitute  a  condition, 
and  effected  it  by  mere  dint  of  decision  and  resolution. 

I  attended  the  gambling-houses,  cockpits,  and  other 
favourite  resorts  of  adventurers,  taking  particular  care 
to  disguise  my  person,  so  that  my  own  father  could  not 
have  recognised  me.  In  these  places  I  managed  to 
enlist,  at  different  times  in  the  course  of  ten  days, 
thirty  resolute  fellows,  most  of  whom  are  able  seamen, 
directing  them  to  rendezvous  in  the  suburbs  on  a 
given  evening.  I  first  secured  a  sailing-master,  one 
Bernardo,  who  undertook  to  procure  a  long-boat,  in 
which  we  were  to  leave  the  harbour.  With  his  assist 
ance  the  other  officers  of  the  crew  were  appointed 
with  as  much  formality  as  if  we  had  been  commission 
ing  a  ship  of  war. 

When  we  met  at  the  rendezvous,  they  all  knew  me 
and  recognised  me  as  their  leader ;  but  most  of  them 
were  strangers  to  each  other.  I  had  them  all  sworn 
in  regularly  according  to  a  form  agreed  upon  by  Ber 
nardo  and  myself,  which  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to 
set  down  in  this  place.  But  it  was  very  comprehen 
sive  and  emphatic ;  amounting  to  little  less  than  a  vir 
tual  declaration  of  war  with  all  nations. 

Bernardo  then  chose  three  men  who  accompanied 
him  in  pursuit  of  a  boat.  They  were  absent  about 
two  hours  among  the  shipping  in  the  harbour,  and 
returned  to  the  spot  where  we  were  assembled  with  a 
large  shallop  with  a  lateen  sail.  This  place,  where 


THEY    EMBARK. 


41 


we  embarked,  is  on  the  shore,  between  the  city  and  the 
Punta.*  The  hour  was  midnight,  and  a  thick  fog 
coming  on  at  the  time,  favouring  our  escape  from  the 
harbour,  we  passed  the  Morro,*  without  being  per 
ceived  by  the  sentinel  on  duty. 

I  should  not  omit  to  mention  that  my  servant, 
Pedro,  accompanied  me,  although  fully  aware  of  the 
nature  of  the  enterprise,  and  strongly  urged  by  me  to 
return  home. 

*  The  Punta  and  the  Morro  are  fortresses ;  the  former  on  the  right,  and 
the  latter  on  the  left-hand,  as  you  sail  into  the  harbour  of  Havana. — TV. 


6 


DJ8 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    FIRST    CAPTURE. 

Y  the  terms  of  en 
listment,  each  man 
had  engaged  to 
equip  himself.  I 
had  money  enough 
to  furnish  muni 
tions  and  provi 
sions  sufficient  to 
last  ten  days ;  all  which  were  conveyed  from  my  own 
lodging  to  the  place  of  embarkation  by  Pedro,  myself, 
and  three  other  men  of  the  crew. 

After  clearing  the  Morro  castle,  we  began  to  pre 
pare  for  a  cruise.  It  was  agreed  that  we  should  call 
each  other  by  our  Christian  names  only;  that  the  ma 
nagement  of  the  boat  and  the  navigation  of  any  vessel 
which  we  might  capture,  should  be  ordered  by  the 
sailing-master,  but  that,  in  every  thing  else,  he,  as 
well  as  the  rest,  should  be  subject  to  my  orders. 

We  were  well  supplied  with  small  arms,  but  had  no 
cannon.  The  want  of  this  we  were  determined  to  sup 
ply  by  resolution.  Our  first  object  was  to  procure  a 
vessel;  we  might  then  enlarge  our  crew  by  recruiting  in 
Havana,  and  procure  cannon  to  be  brought  by  them. 
42 


THE    FIRST   CAPTURE.  45 

In  the  morning  there  was  a  light  breeze,  and  we 
were  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  Havana.  Just 
before  sunrise  we  discovered  a  ship  at  anchor.  We 
bore  away  for  her,  and  were  soon  near  enough  to 
perceive  that  she  was  one  of  the  ships  engaged  in 
the  German  trade.  She  was  apparently  about  six 
hundred  tons  burden,  and  sparingly  manned. 

Here,  then,  was  to  open  my  first  adventure  on  the 
seas.  I  shall  not  soon  forget  my  emotions,  as  we 
approached  to  board  the  ship.  A  recollection  of  my 
peaceful  and  happy  life  at  home,  came  over  me ;  then 
the  wrongs  I  had  suffered,  the  insults  I  had  borne, 
flashed  across  my  mind.  I  glanced  at  the  counte 
nances  of  my  associates,  each  with  his  keen  eyes  fixed 
earnestly  on  the  vessel,  and  his  nostrils  dilated  with 
the  excitement  of  the  moment.  The  sight  of  them 
recalled  my  thoughts  to  the  present  scene,  and  braced 
my  nerves  for  the  contest,  if  contest  there  should  be. 

Nothing  of  these  thoughts  and  emotions  could  have 
been  conjectured  from  my  appearance;  for  I  have  the 
power  of  concealing  just  as  much  as  I  choose  to  conceal, 
of  what  passes  within  me.  Whatever  passions,  talents, 
and  feelings  I  possess,  I  have  always  at  command.* 
I  can  excite  myself  to  just  what  pitch  I  please,  on  any 
occasion  or  no  occasion,  or  keep  my  blood  cool  in  the 
midst  of  carnage  'and  death.  But  these  are  small 
advantages  in  comparison  with  the  power  of  concealing 
what  I  think  and  feel. 

On  the  occasion  of  which  I  am  now  writing,  I  chose 

*  It  is  amusing  to  hear  a  man,  whose  actions  prove  him  to  be  the  slave 
of  passion,  boast  of  his  power  of  controlling  his  passions. — TV. 


46  THE    MASSACRE. 

to  appear  perfectly  cool  and  unconcerned.  I  deter 
mined  to  go  through  with  my  first  adventure  in  a 
business-like  way.  I  ordered  the  sailing-master 
Bernardo,  to  run  our  boat  alongside  in  the  most  con 
venient  manner  for  boarding. 

We  were  of  course  hailed  and  clamorously  ordered  to 
keep  off.  But  I  directed  the  men  to  board  her  without 
speaking  a  word,  and  throw  every  one  of  the  crew  into 
the  sea.  I  was  myself  the  first  man  on  the  ship's  deck; 
and  the  strange  manner  in  which  we  proceeded,  struck 
such  a  panic  into  her  crew,  that  scarcely  an  effort  was 
made  for  her  defence. 

My  men  executed  my  orders  to  the  letter ;  but,  lest 
some  of  our  victims  should  prove  too  expert  swimmers, 
they  we're  all  stabbed  before  their  immersion. 

Our  prize  was  a  fine  vessel,  belonging  to  a  merchant 
in  Havana,  one  of  the  dear  friends  who  had  refused 
me  a  trifling  loan,  and  now  met  with  a  considerable 
loss,  as  we  learned  by  examining  the  papers  and  the 
cargo.  She  was  loaded  with  German  goods,  and  had 
come  from  Hamburgh. 

On  entering  the  cabin  and  breaking  open  the  cap 
tain's  trunk,  we  found  two  hundred  and  forty  doub 
loons,  which  I  immediately  distributed  among  the  men 
in. equal  shares.  This  earnest-money  was  received  with 
three  hearty  cheers. 

We  next  proceeded  to  open  the  main  hatch  and 
examine  the  cargo,  which  was  by  no  means  a  disagree 
able  business  for  a  set  of  hungry  adventurers.  There 
were  lots  of  Hamburgh  beef  and  Westphalia  hams, 
butter,  cheese,  and  Rhenish  wine,  to  say  nothing  of 


THE    PRIZE.  47 

stronger  liquors,  for  which  we  cared  little.  Then  there 
were  cases  of  dry  goods,  hats,  ready-made  clothing,  &,c. 

As  we  had  no  commercial  agent  on  shore  to  dispose 
of  the  goods,  1  permitted  the  men  to  take  such  articles 
of  clothing  as  they  wanted;  and  soon  had  the  satisfac 
tion  of  seeing  around  me  a  crew  as  genteelly  dressed 
as  heart  could  wish.  Not  a  single  scoundrel  of  them 
but  swaggered  in  his  blue  coat  or  jacket  with  gilt 
buttons,  and  his  white  waistcoat  and  pantaloons,  with 
fur  hat  or  cap.  They  would  have  looked  like  dandies 
on  the  Alameda,  but  for  their  machetes  and  the  pistols 
they  wore  in  their  girdles. 

When  dressed,  they  were  ordered  to  muster  on  deck, 
and  I  then  confirmed  my  previous  appointment  of 
officers,  selected  those  who  were  to  act  as  boarders,  in 
our  next  enterprise,  and  finally  announced  the  import 
ant  appointment  of  Pedro  as  steward,  and  ordered 
him  forthwith  to  provide  a  good  dinner. 

He  and  the  sailing-master  and  his  mate  were  the 
only  persons  allowed  to  enter  my  cabin,  at  the  door  of 
which  Pedro  always  slept,  from  that  time  forward. 

Our  prize  was  unluckily  a  heavy  sailer.  But  we 
retained  our  shallop,  to  be  used  for  boarding  mer 
chantmen  in  calm  weather,  and  for  escaping  to  the 
shore  in  case  of  pursuit  by  a  vessel  of  a  very  superior 
force.  Having  settled  our  plan  of  operations,  we  kept 
along  under  easy  sail  towards  Matanzas,  hoping  to 
intercept  some  merchantman  bound  to  Havana. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    BOSTON    SCHOONER. 

ow  proud  I  felt,  when  I  sat  down  for  the 
first  time  in  my  own  cabin !  My  own  ! 
bought  by  the  valour  of  my  own  right 
hand,  as  most  valuable  possessions  are 
gained.  With  what  triumph  did  I  smoke 
my  cigar  that  day,  and  compare  my  suc 
cess  with  that  of  the  great  admirals  of 
ancient  and  modern  times.  I  was  now 
fairly  in  for  it,  as  a  rover.  My  hand  was 
stained  with  blood,  it  is  true ;  I  was  an 
outlaw ;  I  might  fall  the  next  hour  in  ac 
tion,  or  be  hanged  the  next  week  as  a 
pirate.  But  this  did  not  diminish  my 
enjoyment  of  present  plunder  and  the 
hopes  of  future  revenge;  for  since  the  moment  when 
I  saw  Juanita  fall,  I  had  regarded  death  as  a  consum 
mation  devoutly  to  be  wished. 

We  passed  Matanzas,  and  stood  to  the  northward 
the  night  after  our  first  adventure.  The  next  morning, 
at  daylight,  we  found  ourselves  off  the  Doubleheaded 
Shot  Keys,  becalmed,  with  a  clipper-built  schooner 
just  under  our  lee.  After  a  short  consultation  with 

48 


THE    BOSTON    SCHOONER.  49 

Bernardo,  I  determined  to  take  her;  and,  accordingly 
manned  our  long-boat,  and  rowed  alongside  of  her. 

We  saw  only  the  man  at  the  helm,  till  we  were 
close  under  her  main  chains,  when  suddenly  a  dozen 
men,  springing  up  from  their  places  of  concealment,  at 
once  assailed  us  with  a  shower  of  ballast-stones.  Our 
boat  was  in  danger  of  filling,  and  two  men  were  severe 
ly  wounded.  I  succeeded,  however,  in  boarding,  with 
the  remaining  eighteen  men ;  and  we  fought  the  crew 
hand  to  hand. 

As  they  had  nothing  but  handspikes  to  defend  them 
selves  with,  they  were  speedily  cut  to  pieces  or  driven 
overboard;  so  that  in  fifteen  minutes  we  had  quiet 
possession  of  the  deck. 

On  going  into  the  cabin  we  found  a  passenger,  a 
youth  of  sixteen,  who,  half-dead  with  terror,  had  hid 
den  in  his  berth,  and  covered  himself  over  with  blan 
kets  and  sheets. 

Bernardo  hauled  him  out,  rather  unceremoniously; 
and  he  instantly  fell  upon  his  knees  and  began  to  beg* 
most  eloquently  for  mercy,  in  English. 

"  In  the  name  of  all  the  saints,  who  are  you?"  said 
Bernardo,  in  Spanish. 

"  O  most  excellent  pi gentlemen,"  said  the  poor 

devil,  "  have  mercy  on  me  and  spare  my  life.  I  don't 
understand  one  word  of  Spanish,  and  I  beg  of  you  not 
to  kill  me  for  not  understanding  what  you  say.  O 
dear,  dear,  what  shall  I  do?"  This  speech  was  accom 
panied  with  a  great  deal  of  weeping  and  wringing  of 
hands. 

Bernardo  raised  his  machete,  to  put  an  end  to  tht 
7  E 


6  MR.    STARCH    CONFESSES. 

pother ;  when  I  placed  my  hand  on  his  arm,  saying 
that  I  wished  to  extract  some  information  from  the 
fellow. 

He  clasped  my  knees ;  thanked  me  for  saving  his 
life,  called  me  his  guardian  angel,  &c.  &c. 

"  Don't  be  in  such  a  hurry  with  your  thanks,  my 
good  fellow,"  said  I,  in  English,  "  peradventure  you 
will  have  little  to  thank  me  for  in  the  end." 

"  O  dear,"  said  he,  "  O  do  have  mercy  upon  me, 
and  I'll  never  go  to  sea  again  as  long  as  I  live." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  I  care  about  your  going  to 
sea  ?  You  are  so  frightened  that  you  don't  know  what 
you  are  saying.  ,J?ive  an  account  of  yourself.  Who 
are  you  ?" 

"  O,  sir,  my  name  is  Jeremiah  Starch,  and  I  am 
clerk — head  clerk — in  the  store  of  Codfish  and  Clump, 
down  on  Long  Wharf  in  Boston.  You  know  where 
Long  Wharf  is,  don't  you  ?  Haven't  you  never  been  in 
Boston,  sir  ?" 

"  No,  nor  never  expect  to  be.  How  the  devil  came 
you  here?" 

"  O  sir,  I  thought  I  should  like  to  go  to  sea,  sir. 
But  I've  altered  my  mind. " 

"  Well,  we  will  alter  your  body.  We  will  flay  you 
alive  in  five  minutes,  if  you  do  not  tell  us  all  you  know 
about  the  vessel,  cargo,  cash,  and  consignments.  The 
history  of  your  life,  and  an  accoum;  of  the  changes  of 
your  mind,  we  can  dispense  with  at  present." 

Upon  this  intimation  Mr.  Jeremiah  Starch  was 
sufficiently  communicative.  He  informed  us  that  the 
vessel  was  from  Boston,  bound  to  Matanzas,  with  a 


MR.  STARCH   IS    MAROONED.  63 

cargo  of  Yankee  notions,  principally  provisions.  •  He 
declared  that  the  only  cash  on  board  was  a  hundred 
and  fifty  doubloons,  sent  under  his  care  by  a  Mr.  Gray 
of  Boston,  to  be  paid  to  a  house  in  Matanzas ;  and  on 
Bernardo's  suggesting  the  application  of  a  hot  iron  to 
one  of  his  cheeks,  or  the  stripping  off  a  yard  or  two  of 
his  skin,  in  order  to  make  him  disclose  more  fully  con 
cerning  cash  matters,  he  still  adhered  to  his  former 
declaration. 

The  gold  was  distributed  among  my  men,  as  before ; 
and  the  new  prize  being  a  first-rate  sailer,  we  removed 
our  valuables  from  the  first  prize,  on  board  of  her ;  and 
after  scuttling  the  heavy-sailing  ship,  made  sail  to  the 
leeward,  with  a  light  breeze  whicfc  had  sprung  up 
while  we  were  completing  our  arrangements. 

As  Mr.  Starch  seemed  to  be  particularly  averse  to 
having  his  throat  cut,  we  only  marooned  him  on  a 
small  key  off  the  bay  of  Cadenas,  where  he  may  have 
subsisted  on  a  barrel  of  pork  and  a  keg  of  molasses 
which  we  left  him,  up  to  the  present  time,  for  aught  I 
know  to  the  contrary. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

RECRUITING. 

E  had  now  a  fine,  fast-sailing  schooner, 
and  a  crew  flushed  with  success,  well 
fed,  firmly  attached  to  their  command 
er,  and  ready  for  hard  knocks  in  the 
-*ause  of  liberty  and  an  equal  distribu 
tion  of  property.  But  we  wanted  can 
non.  To  supply  this  want,  we  ran  into 
a  small  harbour  on  the  coast  near  Ma- 
tanzas,  and  I  set  off  for  Havana,  alone, 
leaving  the  vessel  under  the  command 
of  Bernardo. 

He  and  Pedro  gave  me  all  their  money,  and  each  of 
the  sailors  contributed  three  doubloons  towards  the 
intended  purchase.  My  reason  for  undertaking  this 
affair  myself  was,  in  the  first  place,  because  I  could 
trust  myself,  better  than  any  one  on  board ;  and, 
secondly,  I  wished  to  recruit  thirty  more  men,  and  to 
choose  them  myself. 

I  bought  a  horse,  saddle,  and  bridle  at  the  first 
tavern  I  came  to,  after  landing ;  and  half  a  day's  ride 
brought  me  to  the  city.  I  disguised  myself  carefully, 
and  began  my  rounds  at  the  gambling-houses,  in  search 

54 


RECRUITING.  55 

of  recruits.  As  I  enlisted  them  I  gave  them  directions  to 
meet  me  at  Guanabacoa,  on  a  certain  day,  which  hap 
pened  to  be  a  holiday,  which  is  celebrated  with  great 
pomp  in  that  village. 

At  a  gambling-house  one  evening  I  observed  a  young 
fellow,  whose  countenance  prepossessed  me  in  his 
favour,  and  I  determined  to  have  him.  His  eye  was  as 
piercing  as  an  eagle's,  his  features  expressed  fortitude 
and  resolution,  and  his  frame  was  Herculean.  After 
be  had  lost  a  few  ounces*  at  the  monte  table,  he  rose 
in  apparent  agitation  and  was  retiring.  I  went  up  to 
him  and  offered  to  give  him  a  chance  of  retrieving  his 
losses  in  a  quiet  game  of  piquet.  We  retired  to  an 
apartment  in  a  neighbouring  hotel,  and  in  two  hours  1 
stripped  him  of  his  last  dollar. 

He  pulled  out  a  handsome  gold  watch,  and,  laying  it 
upon  the  table,  offered  to  stake  it  for  about  two-thirds 
its  value. 

"  My  friend,"  said  I,  laying  my  hand  very  cordially 
on  his,  "  suppose  you  lose  that,  how  are  you  to  obtain 
your  next  supply  of  money?" 

"  That  is  none  of  your  affair,"  replied  he,  fiercely ; 
"  will  you  accept  my  stake  ?" 

"  I  had  rather  put  you  in  a  way  of  gaining  a  thou 
sand  ounces,  than  win  another  dollar  from  you,"  replied 
I,  with  a  smile,  a  tone,  and  a  look  that  would  have  con 
ciliated  a  much  more' unpromising  novice. 

"  How  may  that  be  ?"  said  he,  eagerly. 

I  pulled  from  my  pocket  a  newspaper — one  of  those 

*    Ounces.     Spanish  doubloons  are  generally  called  ounces  in  Cuba.— 

r 


06  ENLISTING. 

published  in  Havana;  and,  pointing  to  the  list  of  arrivals, 
bade  him  notice  the  quantity  of  gold  brought  in,  every 
day,  by  ships  from  the  United  States  and  Europe. 
"Arrived,  Brig  William,  from  New  York,  with  pro 
visions,  and  Jive  thousand  ounces  of  gold. — Arrived, 
Ship  Charles,  from  Boston,  with  provisions,  dry 
goods,  and  three  thousand  ounces  of  gold" 

"What  is  all  this*  to  the  purpose?"  inquired  my 
protege. 

"  Why,  my  friend,"  said  I,  "  there  are  hundreds  of 
these  vessels,  coming  here  every  month ;  and  you  and 
I  are  none  the  richer  for  it.  Suppose  we  go  out  and 
invite  the  captain  of  one  of  them  to  go  shares." 

"  I  suppose  the  churlish  fellow  would  refuse." 

"  Then  it  would  be  advisable  to  be  in  a  situation  to 
c  impel  his  doing  it." 

"  But  these  people  have  never  done  me  any  harm.  I 
ghould  not  like  to  kill  or  rob  them." 

"  No  harm  ?  Why,  signor,  are  you  a  true  and  loyal 
Cubano,  a  friend  of  King  Ferdinand,  and  do  not  con 
sider  the  Yankees,  and  the  English,  too,  your  enemies  ? 
Have  they  not  helped  those  scoundrels  of  South 
America  to  overturn  the  Spanish  government  ?  Are 
they  not  every  day  permitting  armed  vessels  to  be 
fitted  out  in  the  Patriot  service  from  ports  in  the 
United  States?  Besides,  are  they  not  all  heretics;  and 
would  it  not  be  an  acceptable  act  of  faith  to  burn  the 
whole  posse  of  them  alive?  I  marvel  at  your  silly 
scruples  about  lightening  them  of  a  little  superfluous 
cash." 

"  But  how  are  we  to  get  the  means  ?" 


DON    MANUEL.  11 

When  my  gentleman  had  got  so  far  as  to  ask  this 
question,  I  had  only  to  communicate  a  little  informa 
tion  as  to  the  real  state  of  things,  before  I  completely 
gained  him  over  ;  and  this  same  Don  Manuel  was  one 
of  the  best  officers  I  ever  had  in  my  service. 

With  the  baser  sort,  common  sailors  and  marines,  I 
proceeded  in  a  more  summary  way  ;  and  seldom  occu 
pied  more  than  ten  minutes  in  raising  a  recruit. 

When  my  number  was  completed,  I  purchased,  with 
out  any  difficulty,  six  nine-pounders,  with  carriages 
and  ammunition  ;  had  the  whole  carefully  packed  in 
boxes  for  concealment  ;  and  sent  in  carts  to  a  place  in 
the  Partido*  de  Giguiabo,  on  the  River  Gualiabo. 
Here  the  agent  to  whom  I  had  intrusted  them  was  met 
by  our  gunner,  and  conducted  with  the  carts  to  the 
harbour  where  our  vessel  lay. 

On  the  holiday  above  mentioned,  I  met  my  recruits 
at  Guanabacoa,  swore  them  in,  and  gave  them  direc 
tions  how  to  find  the  vessel.  We  then  separated  and 
took  different  roads  towards  the  place  where  she  lay. 
Don  Manuel  was  my  only  attendant,  in  returning  to 
the  vessel,  and  I  found  him  an  excellent  travelling 
companion,  having  a  considerable  fund  of  humour; 
though  rather  too  much  addicted  to  moralizing.  I 
have  observed  that  people  of  loose  characters  are  rather 
addicted  to  this  vice  of  making  moral  speeches,  and 
uttering  wise  saws.  It  is  a  great  bore.  Don  Manuel 
was,  on  the  whole,  however,  a  very  worthy  fellow. 

On  arriving  at  the  vessel,  I  found  the  guns  all  on 

*  A  Partido  is  a  small  district,  including  several  estates,  and  sometimes 
one  or  two  villages.  —  TV. 


68  OUTWARD    BOUND. 

board,  the  recruits  arrived,  and  every  thing  in  readi 
ness  for  sailing.  From  the  retired  situation  we  had 
chosen,  and  the  fortunate  habit  my  countrymen  have 
of  minding  their  own  business ;  our  operations  did  not 
appear  to  have  attracted  any  particular  attention.  It 
is  true  that  Bernardo  had  found  purchasers  for  some 
of  our  goods,  and  had  succeeded  in  turning  most  of 
the  silks  and  broadcloths  into  hard  cash ;  but  he  was 
troubled  with  no  impertinent  questions  about  the  man 
ner  in  which  he  had  obtained  them;  though  there 
must  /have  been  a  shrewd  suspicion  among  the  pur 
chasers  that  no  very  heavy  duties  had  been  paid  on 
them ;  for,  to  tell  the  truth,  Bernardo  gave  great  bar 
gains. 

As  we  sailed  without  the  ceremony  of  a  clearance 
from  the  custom-house,  and  did  not  even  trouble  the 
governor-general  for  passports  on  leaving  the  country, 
we  had  a  quick  despatch ;  and  in  less  than  three  hours 
after  my  arrival  on  board  we  were  under  weigh,  by  the 
light  of  a  new  moon. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  GERMAN  SHIP. TRADE  ON  SHORE. 

HAVE  been  rather  minute  in 
giving  an  account  of  those 
circumstances  which  led  to 
my  embracing  my  present 
mode  of  life;  and  of  the 
manner  in  which  I  begun. 
But  it  is  unnecessary  for  me 
to  drag  the  reader  through 
the  detail  of  my  numerous 
adventures.  I  shall  only  select  some  of  the  more  strik 
ing  affairs  in  which  it  has  been  my  fortune  to  engage. 
We  cruised  two  months  on  the  north  coast  of  Cuba, 
and,  during  that  time,  boarded  twenty  vessels,  most  of 
them  from  the  United  States.  But  as  we  never  met 
with  any  resistance,  and  only  took  money,  watches, 
and  such  provisions  as  we  wanted,  without  killing  any 
of  the  people,  except  one  or  two  obstinate  captains, 
who  refused  to  tell  where  their  doubloons  were  con 
cealed,  I  shall  not  give  a  detailed  account  of  the  cruise. 
Most  of  these  vessels  were  loaded  with  lumber,  and 
came  from  Portland,  Quinebunque,  Socco,*  &c.  There 
were  two  vessels  from  Rouge  Islandf  with  horses,  and 

*  Probably  Kennebunk  and  Saco. — TV. 
f  Probably  tome  island  oa  tht  «oatt  of  South  America.. 

S!) 


60  SEVEIUI.    CAPTURES. 

another  from  Neck-to-cut*  with  wooden  ware,  clocks, 
tin  pots,  and  nutmegs.  We  found  no  doubloons  on 
board  these  last ;  although  we  obliged  the  master  of 
the  Neck-to-cut  schooner  to  swallow  six  of  his  own 
nutmegs,  in  order  to  make  him  disclose  where  his 
money  was  hid.  We  then  let  him  go.  But  I  think  he 
must  have  died  of  an  indigestion;  for  the  nutmegs 
were  the  hardest  I  ever  saw. 

We  had  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars  on  board ;  and  having  cruised  sixty  days,  the 
men  were  petitioning  for  a  little  recreation  on  shore. 
They  had  plenty  of  money,  and  seemed  to  think  of  the 
pleasures  of  Havana.  I  had  no  objection  to  indulge 
them,  and  accordingly  we  ran  for  a  small,  unfrequented 
bay,  between  Matanzas  and  Havana ;  intending  to  lie 
there  ten  days,  and  then  sail  on  another  cruise;  thus 
affording  the  men  a  week  to  spend  in  Havana,  with 
time  to  go  there  and  return. 

It  was  our  fortune,  however,  before  reaching  our 
destination,  to  fall  in  with  a  large  ship  from  Hamburg, 
bound  to  Havana.  As  they  had  fifteen  or  twenty 
men,  and  a  couple  of  guns,  the  scoundrels  had  the 
insolence  to  resist,  and  fired  into  us  with  musket-balls 
and  grape-shot. 

I  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder,  and  two  of  the  men 
were  killed.  This  stirred  my  blood.  We  boarded  her, 
and  cleared  the  deck  in  five  minutes.  Several  of  the 
men  jumped  overboard,  seven  were  killed  in  the 
action,  and  the  remainder  were  similarly  disposed  of, 
after  the  action  was  over,  except  a  passenger,  who, 

*  I  can  hazard  no  conjecture  as  to  what  port  this  is. — Tr. 


SALE    OF    THEIR    CARGOES.  01 

being  a  physician,  going  to  the  West  Indies  to  seek 
his  fortune,  consented  to  become  our  surgeon. 

In  examining  the  cargo  of  our  prize,  we  found  it  to 
be  very  valuable,  consisting  of  dry  goods,  provisions, 
wine,  hardware,  hats,  &c. ;  and  we  determined  to  take 
her  in  and  dispose  of  the  goods.  Being  satisfied  that 
the  bay,  to  which  we  had  intended  to  go,  was  rather 
too  near  the  merchants  to  whom  the  ship  had  been 
consigned,  I  bore  away  for  the  bay  of  Cadenas,  a  few 
miles  to  the  eastward  of  Matanzas. 

We  came  to  anchor  in  the  bay;  and  sent  our  boats 
on  shore  with  messengers,  who  were  despatched 
to  Matanzas  and  several  neighbouring  villages,  to 
give  information  to  certain  persons,  well  known  to 
many  of  my  men,  that  we  had  brought  in  a  prize,  and 
were  disposed  to  trade  on  liberal  terms  for  cash. 

We  soon  had  plenty  of  customers;  for  we  gave 
great  bargains;  our  object  being  a  quick  sale  and 
cash  payments.  One  man,  a  Portuguese  by  the  name 
of  Juan  #***,  purchased  nearly  half  our  cargo,  and 
paid  for  it  in  doubloons,  and  carried  his  goods  to 
Matanzas. 

We  had  not  time,  however,  to  get  rid  of  all  the 
remainder,  before  a  trusty  messenger  came  from  Ma 
tanzas,  with  information  that  our  worthy  friend  and 
liberal  customer,  Juan,  was  in  trouble.  A  partner  of 
the  house  at  Havana  to  which  our  prize  had  been  con 
signed,  happened  to  see  some  of  Juan's  wonderfully  cheap 
goods,  which  were  bought  at  the  bay  of  Cadenas.  He 
observed  that  many  of  the  packages  had  marks  cor 
responding  with  those  of  the  duplicate  invoices  which 


O*  AN    ALARM. 

had  been  forwarded  to  Havana,  from  their  correspond 
ent  in  Hamburgh,  by  another  vessel.  He  repaired 
to  the  Governor  of  Matanzas,  and  demanded  an 
immediate  investigation  of  the  affair.  The  governor 
was  obliged  to  notice  the  application.  Our  excellent 
friend  Juan  was  instantly  thrown  into  prison;  the 
goods  were  formally  claimed  and  recovered  by  the 
Havana  house ;  although  a  great  deal  went  to  scriva- 
nos*  and  lawyers. 

The  notice  of  Juan's  arrest,  and  an  intimation  that 
we  might  expect  a  visit  from  a  detachment  of  the 
king's  troops,  was  a  matter  which  required  attention. 
Our  thriving  trade  was  abandoned;  the  prize  was 
scuttled  and  sunk;  all  hands  ordered  on  board;  an 
chors  weighed;  sails  loosed;  and  in  three  hours 
after  we  received  the  intelligence,  we  had  cleared 
the  bay,  and  were  standing  to  leeward  under  a  press 
of  sail. 

I  should  not  omit  to  mention  that  our  friend  Juan 
was  kept  in  prison  and  plagued  with  lawyers  and 
scribes  for  a  whole  year  afterwards,  during  which 
time  I  took  care  to  forward  him  frequent  remittances, 
that  he  might  be  able  to  oil  the  balance  of  justice. 
When  those  high-minded,,  vigilant  officers,  the  magis 
trates  of  Matanzas,  had  reason  to  suppose  that  they 
had  drained  Juan  of  all  his  ready  cash,  they  let  him 
go.  But  he  was  a  shrewd  as  well  as  an  upright  man, 
and  had  taken  care  to  keep  a  shot  in  the  locker.  He 
went  into  the  old  trade,  as  perhaps  I  may  hereafter 
have  occasion  to  mention,  and  amassed  a  handsome 
*  Clerks,  scriveners. 


ADTICE.  63 

estate.  He  is  now  a  very  respectable  merchant  in 
Matanzas,  and  I  consider  him  one  of  the  best  friends 
we  rovers  have. 

It  has  always  been  my  policy  to  pay  all  my  servants, 
messengers,  and  spies  on  shore,  handsomely,  and  to 
give  all  merchants,  who  trade  with  me,  excellent 
bargains  and  polite  treatment;  and  I  must  say  that  I 
have  found  my  account  in  it.  I  would  advise  all  rovers 
to  do  the  same.  Moreover,  it  is  as  well  to  keep  a 
lawyer  or  two  in  pay  on  shore,  and  as  many  of  the 
civil  and  military  officers  of  government  as  you  can 
find  means  to  corrupt. 

It  is  true  these  worthy  adherents  will  be  sure  to 
desert  you,  as  soon  as  your  money  is  gone;  but  they 
may  be  very  useful  while  it  lasts;  and  inasmuch  as 
the  government  of  Cuba,  notwithstanding  their  pro 
clamations  against  PIRATES,  have  taken  care  that  no 
informer  or  prosecutor  can  possibly  gain  any  thing  by 
their  conviction  and  punishment;  the  chance  is,  that 
a  lawyer  will  speedily  get  you  clear. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ESTABLISHMENT  OF  A  DEPOT  IN  A  CAVERN  ON  SHORE. 

E  misfortune  of  our  worthy 
friend  Juan,  and  the  conse 
quent  interruption  to  our 
trade  on  shore,  convinced 
me  of  the  importance  of  hav 
ing  some  safe  depot  for  our  goods — a  place  to  which 
we  might  retreat  in  case  of  shipwreck,  or  of  being 
obliged  to  abandon  our  vessel  by  a  superior  foreign 
force. 

I  consulted  with  Bernardo  and  his  mate  Francisco, 
and  inquired  if  they  knew  of  any  safe  place  in  the 
interior,  near  the  coast  of  Cuba,  or  any  island,  where 
we  might  be  secure  from  disturbance.  They  knew  of 
none.  Luckily  our  conversation  was  overheard  by 
my  steward,  Pedro,  who  informed  us  that  he  knew  of 
a  cavern  not  far  from  my  father's  estate,  which  would 
answer  our  purpose  admirably.  He  had  found  it,  by 
mere  accident,  as  he  was  rambling  in  the  woods  in 
search  of  the  honey  of  the  wild  bees,  which  abound  in 
all  parts  of  the  island.  He  had  ascended  the  precipitous 
side  of  a  mountain,  and  was  clambering  along,  holding 
on  by  the  tendrils  of  the  bajuca  or  wild  vine,  when 

64. 


PEDRO'S  ADVENTURE.  06 

one  of  these  giving  way,  and  his  foot  slipping  at  thi 
same  moment,  he  was  tumbled  into  a  deep  fissure 
among  the  rocks.  He  lay  for  some  time  insensible 
and,  on  recovering,  found  himself  in  a  spacious  cavern 
which  was  dimly  lighted  by  the  midday  sun,  which 
could  scarcely  pierce  through  the  thick  branches  and 
foliage  which  nearly  filled  up  the  chasm  through 
which  he  had  fallen. 

Despairing  of  climbing  up  through  the  fissure,  Pedro 
began  to  explore  the  cavern,  in  hopes  of  finding  some 
other  opening.  He  found  it  extensive  and  branching 
out  into  many  chambers,  which  I  shall  describe  more 
particularly  hereafter.  At  last,  when  nearly  exhausted, 
he  discovered  a  gleam  of  daylight  appearing  at  the 
end  of  a  long  natural  gallery,  and,  scrambling  towards 
it,  was  rejoiced  to  find  an  Opening  which  looked  out 
upon  the  sea-shore. 

As  he  was  anxious  to  conceal  his  discovery,  that  he 
might  retreat  to  the  cave  in  case  of  deserting  the 
estate,  he  concealed  the  opening,  by  tumbling  a  tree 
over  it,  which  cost  him  a  good  hour's  labour  with  his 
machete.*  He  further  informed  us  that  the  access  to 
the  opening  from  which  he  had  escaped,  to  the  sea. 
was  easy. 

I  determined  at  all  events  to  visit  this  place,  and 
accordingly  ran  for  that  part  of  the  coast  on  which 
my  father's  estate  was  situated.  Before  we  arrived 

*  The  weeding  instrument  used  by  the  negroes,  is  called  a  machete, 
as  well  as  the  sword  of  a  cavalier.  The  negro's  machete  resembles  a 
cleaver,  and  is  usually  worn  in  the  woods,  sheathed  in  a  rough  scabbard 
of  palm-leaf. — Tr. 


66  FRENCH    PRIZE    TA.KEN. 

at  our  destination,  we  fell  in  with  a  French  ship  from 
Bourdeaux,  bound  to  Havana.  We  captured  her 
after  a  short  action,  and  finding  her  cargo  to  consist 
of  wine,  brandy,  fruits,  silks,  broadcloths,  and  other 
valuable  articles,  I  put  on  board  a  prize  crew  under 
the  command  of  Francisco,  and  ordered  him  to  keep 
company  with  us.  He  saved  enough  of  the  crew  alive 
to  navigate  the  ship  to  the  point  on  the  coast  to  which 
we  were  bound,  viz. :  a  small  bay  near  my  father's 
estate. 

On  arriving  there,  Francisco  ordered  the  prisoners 
to  let  down  the  jolly-boat  and  get'  into  her.  The 
Frenchmen  obeyed  with  alacrity,  expecting  their  free 
dom  as  a  matter  of  course ;  but  the  moment  they 
pushed  off,  Francisco  ordered  his  men  to  fire  into  the 
boat  with  their  muskets,*and  destroy  them  all. 

Fortunately  I  was  anchored  near  the  prize ;  and 
being  in  my  cabin  preparing  to  land,  I  heard  the 
discharge  of  musketry,  and  running  on  deck,  demand 
ed  the  reason  of  such  a  disturbance.  On  learning 
it,  I  ordered  the  men  to  desist  from  firing,  and  told 
the  Frenchmen  to  come  on  board  of  my  own  vessel. 
There  were  seven  survivors,  three  having  been  killed. 
They  came  on  board,  half-terrified  to  death,  and  beg 
ging  for  mercy.  I  told  them  to  fear  nothing. 

I  was  exceedingly  angry  with  Francisco  for  this 
affair:  not  because  he  had  shot  a  few  Frenchmen; 
but  because  the  coxcomb  had  presumed  to  act  without 
orders,  and  more  particularly  because  I  wanted  to  use 
tfie  services  of  these  prisoners  in  landing  the  cargo. 

In  the  evening  after  our  arrival,  I  had  some  flam* 


A    SURPRISE.  67 

beaux  prepared,  to  be  lighted  when  we  should  get  into 
the  cavern,  and  taking  a  party  of  six  men,  well  armed 
and  provided  with  dark  lanterns,  with  Pedro  for  a 
guide,  I  set  off  to  explore  the  scene  of  his  adventure 
in  the  woods. 

Pedro  led  us  for  half  an  hour  through  a  winding,  intri 
cate  path  in  the  woods,  where  we  were  obliged  to  go 
in  single  file,  and  frequently  to  cut  our  way  with  our 
machetes.  Suddenly  we  came  upon  a  wide  cart-road 
leading  through  the  forest;  and  in  a  moment,  as  we  at 
tempted  to  cross  this  road,  a  whole  troop,  consisting 
of  eight  or  ten  horsemen,  came  dashing  along  with 
loud  cries  of  "  Here  they  are !  here  are  the  baiade- 
leros.*  Kill  them  !  Shoot  them  !  Take  them  !" 

As  I  was  averse  to  making  a  disturbance  on  shore,  I 
determined  to  do  these  braggadocios  no  harm.  I  there 
fore  coolly  ordered  my  men  to  face  round  towards  them, 
draw  each  a  pistol,  and  fire  over  the  horsemen's  heads. 

The  moment  the  pistols  were  discharged,  these 
valiant  troopers  wheeled  about,  and  instantly  set  off 
at  a  full  gallop ;  and  we  heard  no  more  of  them. 

They  were  undoubtedly  a  patrol  of  the  young  men 
of  that  neighbourhood;  planters'  sons,  overseers  of 
estates,  and  so  forth;  who  hud  been  ordered  out 
by  the  captain  of  the  partido,  to  capture  highway 
robbers,  a  species  of  vermin  very  common  in  Cuba. 

I  must  confess  that  I  felt  my  temper  a  little  ruffled 
at  being  mistaken  for  a  highway  robber,  a  land-shark. 
I  have  always  considered  the  practice  of  highway 
robbery  exceedingly  immoral,  and  highly  ungenteel. 

*  Bandeleros,  robbers. 


68  THE    PIRATES     CAVE. 

However,  I   commanded  my  temper,   and   let   these 
uncivil  gentry  off  with  whole  skins.  -  • 

We  pursued  our  path  towards  the  cavern ;  and  as  I 
was  particularly  averse  to  being  interrupted  in  oui 
lawful  business,  by  these  villanous  patrols,  I  was  glad 
to  learn  from  Pedro,  that  when  we  should  come  to 
convey  the  goods  to  the  cavern,  we  might  go  by  a 
more  out-of-the-way  path. 

When  at  length  we  arrived  at  the  cavern,  we  found 
its  mouth  admirably  screened  from  observation.  It 
was  in  the  very  depths  of  a  forest,  and  could  only  be 
entered  by  ascending  the  rocky  side  of  a  hill  completely 
covered  with  thick  vines  and  tall  trees.  We  entered 
it  by  clambering  down  a  steep  passage,  and  lighted  our 
flambeaux ;  when  the  blaze  of  light  revealed  a  most 
beautiful  and  imposing  spectacle.  The  principal  cave 
in  which  we  stood  is  fifty  feet  in  height  from  the  floor 
to  the  roof,  and  presents  an  area  of  two  hundred  feet 
in  diameter.  The  roof  is  supported  by  pillars  of  solid 
white  limestone,  and,  owing  to  the  manner  in  which 
this  and  all  other  limestone  caverns  of  the  country  are 
formed,  they  are  completely  lined  throughout  with 
limestone ;  the  sides  being  adorned  with  curious 
draperies,  curtains,  and  festoons,  like  the  scenery  of  a 
theatre ;  the  roof  hung  with  numberless  stalactites 
depending  from  every  part  of  it ;  and  the  floor  studded 
with  stalagmites,  which  serve  for  seats,  tables,  candela- 
bras,  and  sofas. 

From  the  main  apartment  of  the  cavern  we  soon 
ascertained  that  galleries  and  chambers  branched  off 
>n  every  direction ;  and  after  diligently  searching,  for 


PLUNDER    CONCEALED.  69 

nearly  the  whole  night,  by  the  light  of  our  flambeaux, 
we  were  unable  to  find  any  traces  of  this  cavern  having 
been  visited  by  man,  before  it  was  discovered  by  Pe 
dro.  There  were  a  great  many  owls  and  bats  flitting 
about  over  our  heads,  but  it  was  no  part  of  our  policy 
to  disturb  them,  for  the  present. 

We  returned  to  the  vessels  early  the  next  day,  and 
found  a  flock  of  people,  who  were  desirous  to  purchase 
our  goods,  assembled  from  the  neighbouring  villages. 

I  was  not  apprehensive  of  being  recognised  by  any 
of  these  people  myself,  having  changed  materially  in 
my  personal  appearance  since  leaving  my  home,  which 
was  in  this  neighbourhood ;  but  it  was  otherwise  with 
Pedro  ;  and  I  accordingly  ordered  him  to  keep  during 
the  day  on  board  the  schooner,  which  none  of  these 
people  were  allowed  to  approach.  I  permitted  them  to 
trade  through  the  day ;  but  cleared  the  coast  of  them 
at  night,  and  cc'nmenced  operations  for  removing  certain 
valuables  to  the  cavern.  I  had  purchased  ten  mules 
of  the  country  people  in  the  daytime,  and  these  were 
loaded  before  dark,  with  cases  of  wine,  kegs  of 
brandy,  boxes  of  raisins  and  prunes,  drums  of  figs, 
packages  of  silks  and  broadcloths,  and  a  quantity  of 
articles  of  ready-made  clothing. 

With  these  goods,  and  a  strong  party  from  the 
jchooner,  we  started  off  and  reached  the  cavern  in  an 
hour;  and  in  less  than  fifty  minutes  after  our  arrival 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  we  had  transferred  the  whole 
from  the  backs  of  the  mules,  into  the  principal  apart 
ment  of  the  cavern.  I  then  ordered  two-thirds  of  the 
men  back  for  another  cargo,  and  stayed  behind  myself 


70  RAMON'S  CHAMBER. 

to  superintend  the  storage  of  the  goods  in  some  snug 
and  commodious  chamber. 

It  was  not  without  considerable  trouble  and  research 
that  I  found  the  apartment,  in  which  I  am  now  con 
fined  with  my  broken  leg;  and  where  I  am  gravely 
composing  my  own  history,  telling  to  ages  yet  unborn, 
and  who  will  long  remain  unborn,  I  ween,  the  exploits 
by  which  I  have  acquired  some  small  celebrity,  such 
as  it  is.  By  the  way,  I  have  not  related  any  of  my 
special  and  particular  feats.  I  have  several  to  narrate, 
and  shall  soon  come  to  some  of  them,  in  the  regular 
course  of  my  narrative. 

To  return  to  my  chamber.  I  will  describe  it  as  it 
is  now;  for,  by  the  aid  of  sailors'  contrivance  and 
good  ship-stores,  we  were  not  long  in  bringing  it  to  a 
state  of  comfortableness,  in  which  it  has  remained 
undisturbed  to  the  present  time;  its  quietness  and 
repose  being  only  relieved  by  an  occasional  drinking- 
bout,  or  a  trifling  brawl  among  the  men,  whom  it 
sometimes  becomes  necessary  to  silence  with  the  sabre. 

This  room,  in  which,  thanks  to  my  fractured  limb, 
I  now  lie,  is  not  above  forty  feet  square.  The  en 
trance  from  a  passage  leading  into  the  main  apartment, 
is  small ;  and  the  floor  is  a  little  raised  from  the  level 
of  the  main  floor.  It  is  perfectly  dry,  and  has  a  nar 
row  aperture  through  the  roof,  in  one  corner,  which 
answers  the  purpose  of  a  chimney.  It  is  ornamented 
by  the  hand  of  nature  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
rest  of  the  cavern,  with  stalactites,  pillars,  &c.,  of 
beautiful  white  limestone,  and  is  furnished  rather  in 
the  naval  taste. 


OLD    ROSA.  71 

The  sides  are  adorned  with  Hags  of  various  nations 
suspended  from  the  stalactites;  every  pillar  has  its 
ornaments  of  crossed  sabres,  muskets,  or  pistols;  sofas, 
chairs,  tables,  and  sideboards  are  disposed  in  tolerable 
order,  and  my  own  bed  occupies  a  situation  where  I 
can  command  the  whole  apartment  with  a  glance;  and 
as  my  pistols  and  dagger  are  always  within  my  reach, 
I  should  have  little  to  fear,  even  in  my  disabled  state, 
from  any  thing  short  of  half  a  dozen  armed  intruders. 
However,  there  is  little  chance  of  intruders  here.  In 
Cuba  people  mind  their  own  business,  and  permit 
every  one  to  follow  his  lawful  trade. 

My  only  attendant  in  the  cavern  at  present  is  an 
old  Creole  woman,  Rosa ;  so  called  probably,  from 
her  resemblance  to  that  botanical  curiosity,  a  black 
rose.  She  takes  excellent  care  of  me,  and  knows  the 
signal,  and  will  be  sure  to  hear  it,  too,  at  any  time  of 
night,  when  the  return  of  my  men  may  require  the 
opening  of  the  trap-door  which  closes  the  outer 
entrance  to  the  great  cavern. 

She  is  well  acquainted,  moreover,  with  the  stores 
of  the  concern ;  knows  in  what  recess  to  search  for 
wine  or  spirits,  ship-bread,  ham,  beef,  sugar,  snuff, 
cigars,  or  gunpowder ;  and  she  cooks  almost  as  well  as 
poor  Pedro.  She  cost  me  nine  hundred  dollars  in 
Havana ;  but  she  is  worth  a  Jew's  eye. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE    MUTINY. 


/HEN  I  had  stored  a  considerable 
quantity  of  goods  in  the  ca 
vern,  I  gave  a  dinner  to  as 
many  of  the  officers  and  men 
as  could  leave  the  vessel  at 
once,  and  we  prolonged  the 
festivities  till  nearly  dawn  of 
the  next  day. 
I  ordered  a  lieutenant  and  two  men  to  remain  in  the 
cavern  during  my  absence,  giving  them  directions  to 
make  it  their  rendezvous,  and  relieve  each  other; 
two  staying  in  the  cavern  while  a  third  should  scour 
the  neighbouring  country,  go  to  Havana  occasionally 
for  intelligence,  and  act  as  a  spy;  adopting  any  dis 
guise  or  character  he  might  think  fit. 

I  then  returned  to  the  schooner,  disposed  of  the 
Frenchmen,  who  had  assisted  us  in  unloading,  in  such 
a  manner  that  they  will  tell  no  tales;  sunk  the  French 
prize,  and  set  sail  on  another  cruise. 

When  we  had  been  out  thirty-six  hours,  I  began  to 
remark  some  appearances  in  my  crew  which,  to  me, 
seemed  to  portend  a  mutiny.  Dark,  malicious  glances 
cast  at  me  as  I  walked  the  deck;  curses,  not  loud, 

71 


THE    MUTINY.  73 

UML* 

but  deep,  reached  my  ear  once  or  twice ;  and  on  the 
whole,  things  were  looking  rather  squally.  I  seemed 
not  to  notice  it;  and  I  was  not  long  in  making  up  my 
mind  that  it  was  owing  to  the  machinations  of  a 
Portuguese  sailor  that  I  shipped  incautiously  from 
among  the  persons  who  visited  us  on  shore. 

He  was  a  fellow  of  great  activity  of  body,  fluency 
of  tongue,  and  address  of  manners ;  a  capital  sailor, 
but  an  unprincipled  dog,  unfit  for  any  honourable 
service.  He,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  had  been  amusing 
the  crew  with  such  speeches  as  this. 

"  Why,  what  a  parcel  of  Johnny  Raws  you  must 
be,  to  sail  under  a  fellow  that  is  a  mere  landsman ; 
that  knows  no  more  of  seamanship  than  your  gunner 
does  of  farming ;  a  fellow  that  can  fight  a  little,  to  be 
sure;  but  who  can't  do  that?  If  your  sailing-master 
were  killed,  you  would  be  all  in  the  wind.  You 
ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourselves.  Chuck  him  over 
board  off-hand,  choose  me  for  your  captain,  and  I'll 
show  you  what  is  what.  Why,  he  orders  you  about 
here  with  as  much  authority  as  though  he  had  served 
out  his  seven  years,  as  I  have,  before  the  mast,  instead 
of  crawling  in  at  the  cabin  window,  like  a  landlubber 
as  he  is.  I  have  commanded  a  rover  that  carried 
thirty  guns,  and  have  seen  more  service  than  this 
fellow  ever  read  of,  though  you  say  he  is  a  great 
scholar.  For  my  part,  I  think  the  best  scholarship 
is  to  know  how  to  box  the  compass  and  steer  a 
trick." 

As  there  were  some  trifling  jealousies  and  discon 
tents  before,  these  arguments  were  not  without  their 


74  THE    MUTINY. 

effect  on  the  fickle  portion  of  the  crew,  so  that  this 
Portuguese  Patricio  soon  had  his  party  of  some  fifteen 
or  twenty  fellows  who  were  ready  for  any  thing. 
The  more  respectable  part  of  the  crew,  the  steady 
old  salt  water  heroes,  foreseeing  the  probable  result, 
and  resolving  to  stand  by  me,  when  they  should 
"come  to  the  scratch,"  kept  silent,  and  watched  the 
course  of  events. 

I  had  been  walking  on  the  quarter-deck,  and  ob 
served  Jacques  in  close  consultation  with  a  knot  of 
men,  forward.  I  went  into  the  cabin,  put  two  pistols 
in  my  belt,  after  looking  carefully  at  their  priming, 
and  stuck  a  dagger  into  my  sash,  in  addition  to  the 
one  I  always  carry  in  my  bosom.  I  wore  my  sword 
as  usual.  I  then  went  up  the  companion-way,  intend 
ing  to  wait  the  moving  of  the  waters.  I  despise  to 
pick  a  quarrel  with  my  crew ;  but  when  they  have  any 
special  business  aft  of  the  main  hatch,  they  will  find 
me  ready. 

The  moment  I  stepped  upon  deck,  eight  muskets, 
with  fixed  bayonets,  were  levelled  at  my  bosom,  and 
I  was  ordered  by  as  many  voices  to  go  below. 

I  drew  my  pistols,  and,  presenting  them,  I  coolly 
replied  to  this  peremptory  order,  "  Fire  away,  my 
good  fellows,  fire  away.  The  first  that  pulls  trigger, 
however,  will  go  to  Davy  Jones ;  for  you  know  I  am 
a  dead  shot.  Fire,  if  you  like!  I  never  flinched 
from  steel  or  gunpowder  yet,  and  it  is  not  likely  that 
I  shall  obey  an  order  from  my  own  men,  at  this  time 
of  day.  I  had  much  rather  die." 

They  had  expected  to  intimidate  me ;  but  finding 

*,;/;?£ 


THE    EXECUTION'.  75 

me  resolute,  and  no  one  of  them  liking  to  take  the 
risk  of  firing  first,  they  hesitated,  and  raised  their 
muskets.  At  this  moment  Patricio,  who  had  kept  in 
the  rear,  stepped  forward  to  encourage  his  dupes ;  but 
before  lie  could  speak  three  words,  the  old  sailors 
who  had  hung  back,  and  stood  neutral,  probably,  to 
see  if  my  resolution  was  equal  to  the  occasion,  rallied 
round  me",  with  loud  shouts  of  "  Huzza  for  Don  Ra 
mon  !  The  old  captain  forever!  Game!  game!  a 
real  fighting-cock  to  the  back-bone!" 

The  gentlemen  of  the  committee  for  making  a  pri 
soner  of  me,  were  disarmed  in  a  twinkling,  and  began 
loudly  to  complain  of  Patricio,  and  lay  the  whole 
blame  of  the  transaction  on  his  shoulders.  The  old 
sailors,  and  all  who  were  not  of  the  nine  leading  con 
spirators,  were  for  throwing  these  worthies  overboard ; 
but  I  insisted  on  a  free  pardon  for  all  but  Patricio. 
I  directed  the  old  sailors  to  try  him  by  a  court  of 
inquiry  after  their  own  fashion,  and  dispose  of  him  as 
they  found  him  guilty  or  innocent  of  originating  the 
whole  plot,  which  I  think  extended  much  farther  than 
to  the  nine  who  appeared  in  the  business,  as  I  should 
have  found  to  my  cost,  if  I  had  exhibited  the  least 
symptom  of  fear. 

The  trial  lasted  about  five  minutes.  Patricio  was 
condemned  by  acclamation,  and  strung  up  to  the  yard- 
arm  as  soon  as  his  sentence  was  pronounced.  There 
has  never  been  a  sign  of  discontent  among  my  men 
Since. 


CHAPTER  X. 

HOW   TO   CATCH    A   TARTAR. — 'ENCOUNTER   WITH    A    YANKED 
SCHOONER. 

SAIL  was  announced  by  the 
man  at  the  mast-head  in 
three  hours  after  Patricio 
met  his  fate. 

"  Now,  my  boys,"  said  I, 
'  let  us  forget  the  past  and  attend  to  the  present.    We 
may  have  an  opportunity  to  show  who  has  the  most 
courage,  in  a  few  minutes.     There  is  an  enemy.  Hur 
ra  for  the  black  flag! !!" 

This  speech  was  received  with  three  cheers,  and  we 
bore  away  for  the  strange  sail.  We  need  not  have 
been  in  such  a  hurry. 

As  we  neared  her,  she  appeared  to  be  a  schooner 
of  equal  size  with  our  own,  and  when  she  hoisted  the 
American  flag,  and  showed  a  row  of  formidable  teeth, 
my  sailing-master  suggested  to  me  that  the  better  part 
of  valour  might  possibly  prove  to  be  discretion  ;  and 
as  we  were  pretty  sure  of  outsailing  the  enemy,  he 
thought  it  would  be  advisable  to  make  sail  to  lee 
ward,  without  asking  him  any  questions. 

"  What !    run  away,"   exclaimed  I,  "  and   from   a  1 
vessel   of  equal   size.     Never,   while  I  have  a  spar  ; 

76 


THE    YANKEE    SCHOONER.  77 

standing,  or  a  man  on  deck  who  can  handle  a  musket 
or  a  boarding-pike." 

"  But,  don't  you  see,  sir,"  said  he,  "  that  it  is  an 
American  man-of-war?" 

"Well,  what  of  that?" 

"  Why,  sir,  they  have  drubbed  the  English  on  the 
ocean.  What,  in  the  name  of  all  the  saints,  can  we, 
poor  Spaniards,  expect  to  do  with  such  fellows?" 

"  Capture  them,  to  be  sure.  We  have  taken  every 
thing  we  have  encountered  hitherto ;  why  not  this 
schooner?" 

"  Oh,  Signior  Don  Ramon,  taking  merchantmen 
from  the  States,  and  a  few  Dutch  and  French  letters- 
of-marque,  is  all  cakes  and  gingerbread  compared  with 
encountering  one  of  these  terrible  Yankee  men-of-war. 
We  have  nothing  but  hard  knocks  to  expect  here,  I 
assure  you." 

"  Nonsense,  nonsense  !  we  can  take  that  schooner 
in  fifteen  minutes.  Besides,  I  would  not  give  up  the 
fun  of  fighting  them,  if  it  were  only  for  the  sake  of 
giving  our  scoundrels  something  to  do.  We  shall  have 
another  mutiny,  in  a  few  days,  for  want  of  action." 

"  Well,  Signior  Don  Ramon,  a  wilful  man  must 
have  his  way.  But  I  had  rather  go  into  action 
with  a  ship  of  any  other  nation  under  heaven.  These 
Yankees  I  ;  hvays  detested  as  Satan  does  holy  water, 
partly  because  they  are  heretics,  but,  mainly,  they  are 
such  unconscionable  hard  fighters,  and  beat  our  great 
nation  all  hollow  in  seamanship.  I  will  hug  the  shore, 
Don  Ramon  ;  for  we  may  have  to  seek  it  before  many 
minutes  are  gone." 


78  THE    YANKEE    SCHOONER. 

I  made  no  objection  to  this.  As  we  neared  the 
enemy,  we  made  her  out  to  be  considerably  our  in 
ferior  in  size  and  weight  of  metal.  She  was  one  of 
the  smallest  schooners  employed  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States,  and  had  been  fitted  out,  as  I  have  since 
learned,  expressly  for  the  protection  of  the  American 
trade  against  our  depredations.  The  vessels  in  this 
service,  from  diminutive  size,  were  called  the  Mus- 
quito  fleet.  I  observed  her  narrowly,  as  we  came 
into  action.  She  was  a  neat  affair.  Her  sails  and 
rigging  were  in  perfect  order.  She  sat  like  a  swan 
in  the  water,  and  under  the  light  breeze  which  we  had, 
every  manoeuvre  was  executed  with  an  exactness  and 
promptitude  that  could  not  but  strike  one  who  had  been 
accustomed  to  the  clumsy  seamanship  of  Spanish  sailors. 

I  felt  confident  of  capturing  her,  however,  if  we 
could  but  succeed  in  boarding,  and  ordered  the  sailing- 
master  to  lay  our  vessel  close  alongside  of  her.  The 
Yankee  commander  reserved  his  fire  so  long,  that  I 
was  expecting  to  see  his  flag  come  down.  He  saw 
our  design  of  boarding ;  and,  although  he  must  have 
known  our  superiority  of  numbers,  he  did  not  decline 
coming  to  close  action ;  but  just  as  we  were  approach 
ing  him  in  parallel  line,  he  suddenly  wore  ship  so  as  to 
come  directly  athwart  our  track,  and  gave  us  a  broad 
side,  which  killed  three  men  and  wounded  six  others. 
The  thing  was  done  in  a  twinkling.  It  seemed  like  a 
stroke  of  enchantment. 

My  faithful  Pedro  was  among  the  dead.  A  cannon 
ball  struck  him  on  the  breast,  and  he  fell  at  my  feet, 
casting  a  dying  look  of  affection  on  his  master. 


A    TARTAR    CAUGHT.  51 

From  this  moment,  I  became  frantic  with  rage,  and 
cannot  recollect  with  distinctness  what  followed.  1 
do  remember,  however,  grappling  with  the  enemy,  and 
ordering  the  men  to  board,  leading  them  to  the  charge, 
and  being  struck  on  the  head  and  knocked  into  the 
sea,  hi  the  act  of  boarding ;  swimming  round  my  own 
vessel ;  seeing  my  men  driven  from  the  enemy's  vessel 
to  their  own  deck,  and  then,  abandoning  that,  taking 
to  their  boats  and  pulling  towards  the  shore ;  being 
picked  up  by  one  of  the  boats  and  hurried  away  to  the 
nearest  shore  and  to  the  woods.  Here,  during  the 
night,  as  my  men  have  since  informed  me,  I  became 
(telirious,  and  was  seized  with  a  burning  fever,  and 
was  conscious  of  nothing  that  passed  for  ten  days,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  I  waked  out  of  a  profound  sleep, 
in  the  bed  where  I  now  lie ;  having  been  brought  to 
the  cavern  by  my  men,  and  carefully  attended  till  the 
strength  of  my  constitution  triumphed  over  the  fever, 
and  my  senses  returned. 

The  men  had  seen  our  vessel  blown  up  by  the 
Yankees,  and  had  dispersed  in  the  woods,  after  ap 
pointing  a  rendezvous  at  the  cavern.  The  sailing- 
master  and  three  others  stood  by  me  through  the 
whole  of  my  delirium,  carried  me  to  a  house  where 
assistance  was  procured,  and  from  which  they  took 
care  to  remove  me  to  the  cavern,  as  soon  as  they 
could  effect  it  secretly. 

All  the  crew  who  had  not  fallen  in  the  action  were 
now  reassembled,  and  waiting  my  recovery  with  the 
greatest  anxiety.  I  gave  the  sailing-master  an  order 
on  Portuguese  Juan,  our  old  friend  in  Matanzaa, 


1 1 


OZ  BERNARDO  S    ORDERS. 

directing  him  to  furnish  a  vessel  suitable  for  cruisingj 
which  should  be  cleared  out  of  Matanzas  as  a  mer 
chantman,  and  should  have  part  of  her  guns  in  the 
hold ;  and  take  part  of  them  in  at  the  bay  of  Cadenas. 
Much  disguise  in  the  matter  was  not  necessary ;  for 
the  government  of  our  ever-faithful  island  never  see 
any  thing  which  is  not  likely  to  yield  them  doubloons. 
When  a  rich  merchantman  is  to  be  seized  for  some 
informality,  or  some  attempt  at  smuggling,  without  the 
customary  bribe,  they  are  on  the  alert — wide  awake. 
But,  when  nothing  but  empty  vessels  and  penniless 
pirates  are  to  be  got,  they  are  not  apt  to  bestir  them 
selves.  Why  should  they  be  ?  I  confess  I  like  their 
sentiments. 

Bernardo  took  the  order  and  seventeen  men,  and 
departed ;  leaving  me  to  recover,  and  promising  to 
anchor  off  the  shore,  near  the  cave,  as  soon  as  possible. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE    PATRIOT  SERVICE. ATTACK   ON   A   ROYALIST   CITY    IN    COLOM 
BIA. PLUNDER   OF    THE    CATHEDRAL. 

[|  RECOVERED  very  slowly.  During  the 
1  remainder  of  my  confinement  to  the 
cave,  I  was  consoled  for  my  late  dis 
aster  by  the  enthusiastic  attachment 
manifested  by  my  men.  They  attri 
buted  their  late  defeat  solely  to  the  cir 
cumstance  of  my  being  knocked  over 
board;  and  expressed  a  firm  conviction 
that,  but  for  that  event,  they  should 
have  swept  the  Yankees'  decks,  and 
driven  every  scoundrel  of  them  into  the 
sea.  For  myself,  I  could  not  help  entertaining  a 
shrewd  doubt  on  the  subject.  Those  Yankees  are  up 
to  a  thing  or  two.  They  took  the  whole  affair  as 
coolly  and  regularly  as  a  day's  work,  and  seemed  to 
think  no  more  of  slicing  off  a  man's  head,  than  of 
drinking  a  glass  of  punch. 

In  five  weeks,  a  messenger  from  Bernardo  arrived 
at  the  cavern,  and  brought  me  intelligence  that  the 
vessel  might  be  expected  immediately.  I  directly  sta 
tioned  men  on  the  highest  hills  in  our  neighbourhood, 
to  be  on  the  lookout,  and  give  me  the  earliest  infor* 
mation  of  her  arrival. 


81  AFLOAT   AGAIN. 

Three  days  afterwards,  she  anchored  at  the  old 
^lace  where  We  used  to  land  our  goods ;  and  Bernardo 
hastened  to  the  cavern.  I  received  him  with  no  small 
pleasure ;  and  immediately  prepared  to  embark.  I  was 
sufficiently  recovered  to  walk  or  ride  out,  and  thought 
a  cruise  would  be  the  best  restorative  to  my  health. 
I  went  on  board,  leaving  but  three  men  in  the  cavern, 
and  taking  the  rest  with  me. 

The  new  vessel  was  a  beautiful  schooner,  Baltimore 
built,  rigged  in  the  most  perfect  manner,  of  a  hundred 
and  fifty  tons  burden,  and  carrying  fourteen  guns. 
We  named  her  "  The  Cubano,"  with  appropriate 
honours  and  ceremonies ;  that  is  to  say,  a  salute  of 
two  broadsides,  hoisting  the  black  colours,  and  drinking 
six  dozen  of  champagne. 

The  next  morning,  we  sailed  on  a  cruise.  I  need 
not  detail  all  its  circumstances ;  but  will  describe  it 
generally.  It  was  the  most  delightful  one  I  ever  had. 
I  had  sworn  vengeance  on  the  Yankees  for  the  de 
struction  of  Pedro,  and,  during  this  cruise,  I  partly 
performed  it ;  as  their  own  newspapers  of  the  period 
abundantly  testify.  Many  was  the  captain,  and  many 
the  crew  that  I  gave  up  to  the  tender  mercies  of  my 
men.  Some  they  destroyed  outright,  with  a  single 
stroke  of  the  knife.  Others  were  hung  up  to  the  yard- 
arm.  Many  were  mutilated  and  tortured;  and  hun 
dreds,  at  various  times,  were  driven  overboard  into 
the  sea. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  we  sometimes  met  with  a 
spirited  resistance,  and  in  several  instances  lost  men 
and  suffered  damage,  even  in  contests  with  merchant- 


A.    PATRIOT4.  86 

toen  carrying  four  or  five  guns.  But  we  always  came 
off  victorious;  and  the  amount  of  specie  and  goods 
which  we  brought  to  the  cave  at  the  end  of  the  cruise, 
exceeded  half  a  million  of  dollars. 

After  the  goods  were  safely  stored  in  the  cavern, 
and  the  money  divided  among  the  crrw,  I  proposed 
to  them,  as  our  coast  was  getting  very  much  infested 
with  American  men-of-war,  that  wo  should  go  to 
Colombia  and  offer  our  services  tc  the  Patriots,  so 
as  to  have  a  sanction  for  any  tiling  we  might  do.  I 
had  no  doubt  that  a  commission  to  act  as  a  privateer 
might  be  obtained ;  and  then,  if  we  should  happen  to 
be  boarded  by  an  American  or  English  frigate,  we 
had  only  to  show  our  commission  from  those  precious 
villains,  the  Colombian  Congress,  and  all  would  be 
fair.  But  as  soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight,  we  might 
fall  to  plundering  any  merchantmen  we  might  fall  in 
With ;  distributing  our  favours,  as  heretofore,  impar 
tially  among  all  nations. 

"  But  should  we  forsake  Cuba?"  inquired  my  men. 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  I ;  "we  had  only  to  put 
our  Colombian  flags  and  commissions  out  of  sight, 
when  wo  approached  our  native  coasts,  and  then  we 
should  immediately  become  dutiful  subjects  of  King 
Ferdinand." 

"  But  what  account  of  myself  should  I  give  to  the 
Congress?"  inquired  they. 

"  O,  I  was  prepared  on  that  point.  I  had  twenty 
sets  of  papers  taken  from  various  merchantmen.  I 
could  enter  from  almost  any  port  in  the  United  States; 

and  say  that  I  had  come  to  embrace  the  glorious  cause 

u 


JOINS   THE    COLOMBIANS. 

of  South  American  liberty.  They  would  not  bother 
people  with  impertinent  questions,  who  had  come  so 
far  to  fight  for  them." 

The  plan  was  embraced  with  enthusiasm ;  and  we 
immediately  sailed  for  Angostura,  which  was  then  the 
seat  of  the  Colombian  government.  On  arriving  there, 
I  immediately  reported  myself  to  the  Congress,  as  an 
•Vmerican  captain,  who  had  fitted  out  the  schooner  in 
v  >e  United  States,  at  my  own  expense,  and  was 
ambitious  of  distinguishing  myself  in  the  Colombian 
service. 

A  commission  to  cruise  till  the  close  of  the  war  as 
a  privateer  was  immediately  granted  by  Congress ;  and 
I  was  informed  by  the  vice-president,  who  presided 
over  that  august  body  in  the  absence  of  Bolivar, 
that  I  was  at  liberty  to  direct  my  attacks  to  any 
quarter  which  would  most  annoy  the  commerce  of  the 
enemy;  but  that  he  would  suggest  the  propriety  of 
my  accompanying  the  fleet  of  Admiral  Brion  in  an 
intended  descent  on  the  coast. 

Although  I  did  not  much  like  this  kind  suggestion, 
I  thought  it  best  not  to  demur;  and,  accordingly, 
sailed  in  company  with  the  fleet. 

The  general  account  of  this  famous  descent  on  that 
part  of  the  coast  of  Colombia,  then  in  possession  of 
the  royalists,  may  be  found,  I  suppose,  in  the  his 
tory  of  the  War  of  Extermination,  At  any  rate,  I 
shall  not  give  it ;  for  I  do  not  care  to  be  too  minute 
about  names  and  dates. 

The  character  of  the  admiral  under  whose  command 
J  was  compelled  for  the  time  to  act,  I  must,  however 


STORMING  OF  THE  MORRO  CASTLE. 


ss 


STORMING    A   TOWN.  89 

give.  It  is  easily  written,  and  every  officer  or  seaman 
who  has  ever  had  the  misfortune  to  serve  under  him 
will  assent  to  its  justice.  He  was  an  ass.  Let  no 
one,  hereafter,  doubt  my  ability  in  drawing  historical 
portraits. 

The  day  after  we  arrived  at  the  port,  which  was 
the  first  object  of  the  expedition,  the  troops,  consisting 
partly  of  Colombians  and  partly  of  British  troops, 
were  landed  at  an  Indian  village,  about  two  leagues 
from  the  town. 

The  fleet  then  sailed  further  up  the  river  to  the 
Morro  castle,  which  commanded  the  entrance  to  the 
town.  This  we  cannonaded  two  hours;  and,  as  we 
were  supported  by  the  division  of  troops  we  had 
landed,  there  was  every  appearance  of  its  surrender 
ing  soon.  But  the  admiral,  who  was  fond  of  mak 
ing  assurance  doubly  sure,  where  he  imagined  that 
his  own  safety  was  concerned,  sent  orders  from  the 
river  to  several  captains  in  the  fleet,  to  land  detach 
ments  of  their  crews  to  act  as  stormingrparties. 
I  was  in  the  number,  and  had  to  take  forty  of  my 
fellows  on  shore. 

The  Morro  was  carried  with  very  little  loss  on  the 
side  of  the  assailants ;  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  all 
the  prisoners  were  immediately  massacred.  In  this 
part  of  the  business  my  men  particularly  distinguished 
themselves.  Practice  makes  perfect 

I  expected  to  be  ordered  on  board  again,  as  soon  as 
the  castle  was  carried.  But  I  reckoned  without  my 
host.  All  the  seamen  who  had  been  landed  were 
marched  forward  to  attack  the  town.  Here  was  a  fine 

19  »9 


90  THE    L1SHOP  S    PALACE. 

piece  of  work  for  gentlemen  like  us  to  engage  in ! 
Nothing  to  be  expected  but  hard  knocks.  I  sub 
mitted,  however,  and  ordered  my  men  to  keep  together, 
and  act  always  in  a  body,  whether  we  should  carry  the 
place,  or  be'  obliged  to  retreat.  At  the  same  time,  I 
inwardly  resolved,  that  if  I  could  once  get  out  of  this 
scrape,  I  would  never  again  place  myself  in  any  situa 
tion,  where  I  should  be  required  to  play  a  second 
fiddle.  Aut  Ccesar  aut  nullus  has  been  my  maxim 
ever  since. 

As  the  force  by  which  the  place  was  garrisoned  was 
considerably  inferior  to  ours,  we  had  no  difficulty  in 
carrying  the  place  by  storm.  A  great  part  of  the  in 
habitants  had  fled  to  the  wooded  mountains  of  the 
vicinity,  on  the  first  alarm  of  our  approach ;  the  re 
mainder  were  put  to  the  sword ;  and  the  conquerors 
had  nothing  further  to  do,  but  quarter  themselves  in 
the  deserted  mansions  and  palaces  of  the  town. 

I  took  possession  of  a  palace  which  had  been  the 
residence  of  a  bishop;  and  was  situated  in  the  rear  of 
the  cathedral.  I  was  careful  that  no  other  company 
should  come  into  the  house  but  my  own  men.  I  sta 
tioned  sentinels  at  the  doors,  and  made  my  disposi 
tions  for  enjoying  some  of  the  bishop's  good  things, 
which  in  the  hurry  of  his  departure  were  not  even  locked 
up.  All  kinds  of  delicate  and  luxurious  provisions,  fruits, 
and  sweetmeats,  we  found  in  abundance ;  and  on  ex 
ploring  the  repository  of  the  good  prelate's  wine,  we 
found  a  priest  belonging  to  the  bishop's  household 
hidden  behind  a  cask  of  Madeira,  where  he  had  con 
cealed  himself,  either  from  reluctance  to  leave  the 


THE  PRIEST  GUIDING  THE  SOLDIERS  AND  SAILORS  TO  THE 
CATHEDRAL. 


THE    CATHEDRAL.  93 

•cene  of  his  former  importance  and  happiness,  or  from 
a  vain  expectation  that  he  should  escape  the  scrutiny 
of  thirsty  soldiers  and  sailors. 

Poor  fellow !  On  being  dragged  out  of  his  hiding- 
place,  he  exibited  every  sign  of  mortal  terror,  and  beg 
ged  and  bellowed  for  mercy,  as  if  he  had  been  the  only 
person  in  danger  in  the  whole  city.  As  one  of  my 
fellows  was  raising  his  machete  to  put  a  stop  to  his 
noise,  he  screamed  out  a  frantic  promise  to  conduct 
us  to  the  treasures  of  the  cathedral, 

I  knocked  away  the  sailor's  lifted  sword,  and  mag 
nanimously  offered  to  save  the  unfortunate  man's  life 
on  his  own  terms.  The  keys  which  opened  the  bishop's 
private  door  to  the  cathedral,  were  instantly  produced; 
and  after  furnishing  ourselves  with  lights,  we  entered 
the  place  in  a  body,  being  guided  through  the  garden 
and  grounds  which  were  planted  with  large  trees.  I 
ebould  have  felt  some  scruples  about  the  sacrilege ;  but 
I  knew  that  the  city  would  be  completely  sacked  the 
next  day,  and  I  was  really  apprehensive  that  the  treasure 
might  fall  into  worse  hands.  Besides,  I  made  a  vow 
to  devote  my  share  to  pious  purposes  on  my  return  to 
Cuba ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  my  crew,  who  were 
all  good  Catholics,  made  similar  vows. 

The  images  of  the  saints  were  speedily  freed  from 
all  superfluous  ornaments  of  gold,  silver,  and  precious 
stones.  But  the  thing  was  done  reverently,  and  we 
assured  the  saints  that  we  only  intended  to  keep  the 
ornaments  out  of  the  way  of  the  heretical  English, 
who  were  our  fellow-soldiers.  No  saint  was  removed 
from  his  place,  and  none  of  the  drapery  was  much  dis- 


94  OUR   PIOUS    CARE    OF    RELICS. 

arranged.  I  wanted  to  rescue  some  of  the  pictures 
from  the  possible  contamination  of  British  hands ;  but 
my  men  opposed  this  on  account  of  the  inconvenience 
of  moving  them,  and  the  impossibility  of  keeping  them 
concealed. 

The  altar-piece,  which  was  very  handsomely  framed, 
attracted  my  attention  particularly;  not  that  I  was 
connoisseur  enough  to  understand  the  merits  of  the 
painting,  but  the  hollow  sound  which  it  sent  forth  on 
tapping  it,  indicated  a  closet  behind.  I  examined  the 
frame  carefully,  and  found  a  spring-bolt,  on  touching 
which  the  picture  slid  down,  and  discovered  a  large 
room,  filled  with  boxes  of  various  forms  and  sizes, 
most  venerably  loaded  with  dust  and  cobwebs. 

The  boxes  were  heavy,  and  it  took  three  men  to 
lift  one  of  them  out  of  its  hiding-place.  It  was  speedily 
knocked  open,  and  presented  a  goodly  show  of  salvers, 
knives,  and  goblets,  of  massy  gold,  with  several  small 
images  of  the  same  metal,  and  a  small  gold  coronet, 
set  with  Peruvian  emeralds. 

The  other  boxes  were  filled  with  similar  valuable 
treasures.  The  question  now  arose,  how  we  were  to 
carry  them  off;  when  the  old  priest  interposed,  and 
offered  to  furnish  us  with  pillow-cases  enough  to  con 
tain  the  whole.  He  was  speedily  conducted  back  to 
the  palace,  under  a  guard  of  two  sailors,  and  returned 
with  the  promised  bags,  from  the  repositories  of  the 
good  bishop's  linen. 

Before  morning,  we  had  disposed  of  our  treasures 
so  carefully,  that  we  had  no  apprehensions  of  being 
called  upon  to  turn  them  into  the  common  stock. 


GRATITUDE.  95 

Each  sailor  carried  a  fortune  on  his  back,  concealed 
by  a  poncho  or  peasant's  cloak,  a  knapsack  plundered 
from  some  royalist  soldier,  or  some  similar  contrivance. 

Our  guide  got  his  reward ;  for  we  did  not  put  him 
to  death,  till  just  before  we  left  the  town,  to  return  to 
the  fleet ;  and  we  spared  him  all  terror,  for  his  head 
was  struck  off  at  a  single  blow,  aimed  by  a  dexte 
rous  sailor,  who  was  standing  behind  him. 

It  would  have  been  a  cruel  thing  to  frighten  the 
fellow,  after  all  {he  polite  attentions  he  had  shown  us; 
and  I  wish  to  avoid  every  thing  like  cruelty. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

LIBERTY. JAMES  THE  SECOND. 

were  ordered  back 
to  the  fleet  the  next 
day,  leaving  the  city 
in  possession  of  the 
land  forces;  and  we 
arrived  in  season  to 
embark  just  at  even 
ing  twilight.  In  the  night,  a  land-breeze  sprung  up ; 
I  ordered  the  men  to  get  up  the  anchors  without  any 
noise,  and  we  were  soon  under  weigh;  having  bid  an 
eternal  farewell  to  the  cause  of  South  American 
liberty. 

At  my  suggestion,  the  sailors  who  had  remained  on 
board,  during  our  expedition  on  shore,  were  admitted 
to  a  share  of  the  spoils  which  we  had  brought  away 
from  the  cathedral. 

The  next  morning  we  were  boarded  by  an  Ameri 
can  frigate,  showed  our  Colombian  commission,  and 
were  very  politely  treated.  I  took  dinner  with  the 
captain,  drank  liberty  toasts,  and  heard  liberty  songs, 
and  finally  parted  from  him  with  mutual  good  wishes 
for  a  prosperous  voyage.  He,  no  doubt,  considered 
me  a  disinterested  patriot  So  goes  the  world. 

96 


COLOMBIAN    LIBERTY.  97 

The  Yankees,  notwithstanding  their  boasted  acute- 
ness,  are  very  easily  deceived.  They  either  cannot 
or  will  not  see  that  there  is  any  roguery  going  forward, 
where  the  people  throw  up  their  caps,  and  shout, 
"  Liberty !"  I  have  been  credibly  informed,  that  they 
believe,  in  the  United  States,  that  the  South  Ameri 
cans  have  bettered  their  condition  by  throwing  off  their 
allegiance  to  Old  Spain,  and  that  they  really  consider 
them  as  a  free  people.  One  week's  residence  among 
them  would  satisfy  the  most  arrant  democrat  that  this 
is  very  far  from  being  the  case.  Liberty !  why,  there 
is  not  the  shadow  of  such  a  thing  among  them.  You 
are  not  at  liberty  to  utter  your  own  opinion,  or  scarce 
ly  to  think  your  own  thoughts  there,  unless  it  hap 
pens  to  chime  with  the  popular  clamour. 

Liberty,  I  suppose,  if  it  means  any  thing,  means  the 
secure  enjoyment  of  the  rights  of  opinion  and  property. 
I  should  like  to  be  informed  whereabouts  in  South 
America  there  is  the  least  security  for  either.  There 
is  plenty  of  licentiousness.  The  law  of  might  settles 
most  of  their  disputes,  whether  between  parties  or 
individuals;  and  the  man  who  breathes  a  word  against 
the  favourite  leader,  or  the  favourite  scheme  of  the 
sovereign  rabble,  does  it  at  his  peril. 

I  have  been  used  to  scenes  of  tumult  and  bloodshed, 
of  violence  and  wrong,  but  not  of  anarchy  and  insub 
ordination.  I  have  seen  some  service,  and  had  some 
hard  knocks  upon  the  high  seas,  so  that  I  had  become 
somewhat  inured  to  rough  surfaces  before  I  joined  the 
Colombian  fleet.  I  saw  enough  there  to  disgust  me 
completely.  Rover  as  I  am,  I  found  that  the  patriot 


98  CUBA. 

service  was  quite  too  much  for  my  nerves,  and  that 
South  America  was  altogether  too  hot  a  place  for  me. 
No,  no !  give  me  old  Cuba ;  where  every  man  is 
secure  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  property  and  rights,  at 
least  so  long  as  he  respects  the  king  and  the  church; 
where  the  nobles  are  rich  and  generous,  and  the  com 
mons  are  contented  and  quiet ;  where  no  demagogue 
can  denounce  you  as  an  enemy  to  liberty,  and  seize 
your  wealth  for  the  good  of  the  country,  and  the  gratifi 
cation  of  his  own  cupidity  and  malice ;  where  a  plenty 
of  law  and  some  justice  may  be  had,  at  least  by  pay 
ing  for  it;  where  every  one  minds  his  own  business; 
where  all  honourable  professions  and  callings  are  pro 
tected;  and  where  even  the  honest  rover,  like  myself 
may  carry  on  his  business,  unmolested,  if  he  will  not 
blow  a  trumpet  before  him. 

I  have  thought,  after  mature  reflection,  that  the  govern 
ment  of  our  eternally  loyal  island  regards  the  depreda 
tions  which  we  free  rovers  commit  on  the  North  Ameri 
can  trade,  with  indifference,  from  this  circumstance. 
It  is  said  that  great  numbers  of  privateers  are  fitted 
out  from  the  United  States,  which  enter  into  the 
Colombian,  Mexican,  and  Buenos  Ayrean  services, 
and  commit  immense  depredations  on  the  commerce 
of  Spain.  Is  it  to  be  expected  that  the  government 
of  Cuba  will  be  very  active  in  suppressing  piracy,  when 
the  government  of  the  United  States  have  never  moved 
a  finger  towards  preventing  these  outrages  ?  I  would 
put  the  question  to  any  intelligent  American,  How 
many  South  American  privateers  have  been  fitted  out 
of  one  certain  port  in  the  United  States  within  the 


JAMES    THE    SECOND.  99 

last  ten  years;  and  how  large  a  proportion  of  them 
have  committed  depredations,  not  only  on  the  Spa 
nish,  but  on  all  nations  ? 

As  a  rover,  I  am  much  obliged  to  both  these  govern 
ments,  especially  to  the  late  king,  James  the  Second, 
of  North  America.  He  was  a  very  worthy  old  gen 
tleman  ;  and  pardoned  a  dozen  or  two  of  our  frater 
nity,  who  were  awaiting  the  execution  of  their  sentence 
of  death  at  New  Orleans.  Some  of  those  same  fel 
lows  afterwards  served  under  me,  and  were  particularly 
dexterous  in  slicing  off  the  heads  of  Yankees,  each 
of  them  having  killed  more  than  twice  as  many  as 
King  James  pardoned,  to  my  certain  knowledge. — King 
James  forever !  say  I. 

There  is  not  the  least  doubt  in  my  mind,  that  he  is 
a  good  Catholic.  But  whether  he  is  or  no,  I  mean  to 
give  two  doubloons  to  the  Holy  Church  of  Santo 
Domingo,  in  Havana,  to  be  laid  out  in  masses^  for  the 
benefit  of  the  old  gentleman's  soul.  He  deserves 
well  of  the  cause. 

But  John  Bull  is  a  rascal.  He  hangs  us  up  without 
the  least  compunction,  wherever  he  finds  us.  He  is  a 
sanguinary  villain.  To  be  sure,  he  consoles  himself 
and  satisfies  his  own  conscience,  by  saying  that  he  has 
caused  his  flag  to  be  respected  in  the  West  Indies, 
and  has  thus  saved  more  lives  than  he  has  taken.  But 
he  should  consider  what  precious  blood  it  is  that  he 
sheds — heroes — gentlemen — rovers.  He  ought  to  be 
governed  by  that  wise  moral  maxim  which  seems  to 
have  had  such  influence  with  King  James.  Better  that 


100  JACKSON. 

ten  merchant  crews  should  be  quietly  tossed  into  the 
sea,  than  that  one  pirate  should  be  hanged. 

I  hope  the  Americans  will  never  make  Field-mar 
shal  Jackson  their  king.  If  they  do,  the  moment  I 
hear  of  it,  I  shall  give  up  business  and  retire.  There 
will  be  no  comfort  in  pursuing  it  under  that  man's 
reign.  He  will  immediately  cover  the  whole  Western 
Archipelago  with  those  scoundrel  mosquito  fleets, 
manned  with  long-sided,  sinewy  Yankees ;  and  who^ 
ever  is  captured  will  swing.  There  will  be  no  par 
doning  of  pirates  in  his  day,  I  warrant. 


ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE    YANKEE   CAPTAIN. 


?^3jp"^fHREE  days  after  we  left  the 
_  _  ~T^  -  &Gtrtt  American  frigate,  we  fell  in 
with  a  merchantman,  whose 
captain  had  the  insolence  to 
decline  surrendering,  and  act 
ually  fired  upon  us  with  a  miserable  swivel.  As  he 
was  under  a  press  of  sail,  with  a  heavy  sea  going,  the 
shot  did  us  no  damage,  but  determined  me  to  con 
tinue  the  pursuit. 

After  a  chase  of  three  hours,  we  came  alongside, 
and  let  the  gentleman  have  a  broadside,  which  ap 
peared  to  occasion  some  confusion  on  his  deck,  as  we 
had  charged  our  guns  with  grape-shot  and  musket-balls. 
Still  the  obstinate  Yankee  refused  to  surrender,  and 
returned  our  fire  with  three  guns  loaded  with  grape ; 
which  killed  one  of  our  men,  and  wounded  three 
more.  I  then  gave  orders  for  grappling  and  boarding ; 
and,  as  was  my  usual  practice,  led  the  boapders  my 
self. 

On  reaching  his  deck,  I  was  astonished  to  find  only 
five  men  standing;  the  rest  of  his  crew  being  all  killed 
or  wounded,  and  lying  scattered  about  the  deck,  some 

T0  mi 


102  THE    YANKEE    CAPTAIN. 

writhing  with  the  torture  of  their  wounds,  and  others 
stretched  on  their  backs,  their  glazed  eyes  turned 
towards  the  heavens,  and  their  stiffening  hands  still 
clenching  their  weapons. 

I  had  little  leisure,  however,  at  the  moment,  for 
observing  these  matters,  for  the  survivors  met  us  re 
solutely,  and  two  of  my  fellows  were  knocked  on  the 
head  with  handspikes,  in  the  act  of  boarding. 

I  encountered  the  captain  hand  to  hand,  sword  to 
cutlass.  He  attacked  me  with  the  greatest  fury,  and 
manifested  a  full  determination  to  sell  his  life  dearly. 
Never  did  my  skill  in  fencing  stand  me  in  better  stead. 
I  warded  his  desperate  thrusts  till  he  was  fairly  out  of 
breath,  and  then  struck  the  cutlass  out  of  his  hand. 
At  the  same  instant,  my  men,  having  disposed  of  the 
remainder  of  the  crew,  were  hastening  to  my  assistance, 
and  one  of  them  presented  a  pistol  to  the  captain's 
head ;  I  struck  it  away,  being  desirous  to  learn  the 
motives  of  his  unusual  behaviour.  Two  men,  by  my 
order,  held  him  by  the  arms,  while  I  questioned  him. 
"  Why  did  you  not  surrender,  sir?"  inquired  I. 

"Because  I  knew  that  1  was  about  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  a  set  of  merciless  ruffians,  and  was  deter 
mined  to  fall  fighting,"  replied  he,  throwing  off,  at  the 
same  instant,  one  of  the  men  who  held  him,  and  en 
deavouring  to  snatch  a  machete  from  another.  He 
was  seized  again,  and  I  had  some  difficulty  in  prevent 
ing  the  men  from  despatching  him  instantly. 

He  was  thrown  upon  the  deck  in  the  scuffle  which 
ensued,  and  four  men  held  him  in  a  prostrate  condition 
each  man  firmly  grasping  a  limb. 


THE    YANKEE    CAPTAIN.  103 

"Why  have  you  thrown  away  the  lives  of  your 
men?"  I  proceeded  to  inquire. 

"  Because  they  chose,  like  brave  fellows,  to  die  in 
hot  blood,  rather  than  be  slaughtered  like  sheep.  I 
only  wish  that  I  had  shared  their  fate." 

"  You  seem  to  be  a  fellow  of  some  mettle.  What 
say  you  to  becoming  one  of  us  ?" 

"Villain!"  he  replied,  "I  should  be  justified  in 
pretending  to  become  one  of  you,  and  watching  my 
opportunity  to  blow  you  up.  But  I  had  rather  die 
this  instant  than  spend  another  hour  in  such  society. 
You  are  the  offscouring  of  all  creation !  the  vilest 
miscreants  that  breathe !  the  most  consummate  scoun 
drels—" 

I  turned  away  from  him,  and  walked  towards  the 
forecastle.  When  I  faced  about,  he  was  gone.  I  did 
not  inquire  of  the  crew  how  he  had  been  disposed  of. 

There  is  spirit  in  some  of  these  Yankees.  This 
fellow,  for  instance,  possessed  courage,  that,  if  he  had 
been  properly  educated,  would  have  fitted  him  for  a 
first-rate  rover.  He  might  have  rivalled  myself,  but 
for  the  absurd  prejudices  in  which  he  was  brought  up. 
Pity  it  is,  thought  I,  that  such  noble  spirits  should  be 
chained  down  to  the  low  drudgery  of  the  merchant- 
service  ! 

•  The  prize  was  valuable.  We  found  five  thousand 
doubloons  in  the  cabin.  The  cargo  consisted  principally 
of  provisions.  There  was  a  quantity  of  Boston  beef, 
tongues  and  sounds,  hams  and  butter,  besides  apples, 
potatoes,  &c. 

I  thought  it  a  good  opportunity  to  stock  the  cavern 


104  ACTS   OF    PIETY. 

with  provisions,  and  accordingly  stood  for  oUr  old 
harbour.  In  doubling  Cape  Saint  Antonio,  we  en 
countered  a  heavy  gale  of  wind,  and  were  in  imminent 
danger  of  shipwreck.  In  the  midst  of  the  storm,  when 
every  one  was  expecting  to  sink,  it  was  curious  to  see 
with  what  earnestness  some  of  our  bravest  fellows 
were  making  promises  of  large  votive  offerings  to  the 
saints,  if  they  should  be  spared.  I  was  surprised  at 
it.  I  had  thought  them  perfect  reprobates,  in  whose 
bosoms  every  sentiment  of  religion  was  extinct.  After 
all,  there  is  nothing  like  a  stiff  gale  of  wind  for  bring 
ing  out  a  man's  hidden  stock  of  devotion.  I  felt  the 
influence  of  the  awful  scene  myself,  and  made  a  vow 
to  dedicate  a  golden  cup  to  the  Holy  Virgin,  if  we 
should  escape.  By  the  way,  I  have  not  paid  it,  and 
must  attend  to  the  thing  as  soon  as  I  am  able  to  go  to 
Havana. 

We  did  escape,  with  only  the  loss  of  one  poor 
fellow,  who  fell  from  the  main-top-gallant  yard,  as  he 
was  handing  a  sail. 

In  nine  days  after  the  gale  had  subsided,  we  ar 
rived  at  the  harbour  near  the  cavern,  and  began,  as 
usual,  to  unload.  It  was  in  coming  to  the  cavern  with 
the  last  load  of  goods  that  I  was  run  away  with  and 
tossed  over  a  precipice,  by  that  scoundrel  of  a  mule ; 
and  here  I  have  lain  ever  since,  with  a  broken  leg ; 
which,  thanks  to  old  Rosa  and  my  good  stars,  is  now 
nearly  well.  I  can  limp  about  the  cavern  with  a  cane, 
nd  have  been  out  sereral  times  to  breathe  the  fresh 
air,  and  see  if  the  vessel  was  in  sight  from  our  look 
out  on  the  mountain. 


RETALIATION.  105 

My  crew  are  under  the  command  of  my  sailing- 
master,  who  can  fight  a  little  upon  occasion,  as  some 
of  our  enemies  have  found,  to  their  cost.  The  imme 
diate  object  of  their  present  expedition  is  the  capture 
of  an  armed  merchantman,  which  sailed  from  Havana 
two  days  after  my  disaster,  under  the  command  of  a 
man  who  is  known  to  have  given  information  which  led 
to  the  death  of  three  of  our  men. 

We  swore  vengeance  against  him;  and  being  ap 
prized  by  a  trusty  friend  in  Havana  that  he  was  about 
to  sail  from  that  port,  I  would  not  let  the  opportunity 
slip  in  consequence  of  my  being  confined.  The  cruise 
has  lasted  much  longer,  however,  than  I  anticipated, 
and  I  begin  to  grow  impatient  for  their  return.  I 
hope  they  will  bring  that  villain's  head  with  them,  when 
they  do  return.  He  is  the  most  ungrateful  dog  in  ex 
istence. 

The  affair  happened  thus :  It  was  on  my  long  cruise 
that  I  fell  in  with  this  fellow,  in  a  ship  from  Charleston, 
bound  for  Matanzas.  His  cargo  consisted  of  rice 
and  flour.  I  ordered  him  to  heave  to,  as  soon  as  we 
were  within  hail,  and  went  on  board  of  him  with  a 
dozen  men,  in  my  boat.  I  demanded  his  specie,  as 
usual,  and  was  answered  that  he  had  not  a  dollar 
I  on  board.  1  went  into  the  cabin,  and,  on  knocking 
j  open  a  flour-barrel,  purporting  to  hold  ship's  stores, 
found  three  hundred  doubloons  concealed  among  the 
flour. 

"  Did  you  not  tell  me,  scoundrel,"  said  I,  turning 
to  the  captain,  whose  under  jaw  had  fallen  several 
inches,  disclosing  a  most  cavernous  and  hungry-looking 
14 


106  INGRATITUDE. 

raouth,   "  Did  you  not  tell  me,  sir,  that  you  had  not 
a  dollar  on  board  ?" 

"  It  is  as  true,  sir,"  said  he,  "  as  the  book  of  Jo>» 
I  have  nothing  of  the  money  sort,  but  doubloons." 

Notwithstanding  this  vile  Yankee  quibble,  by  which 
he  told  a  lie,  and  quieted  his  conscience  with  the  sem 
blance  of  truth,  at  the  same  time  offering  me  an  insult 
unworthy  of  a  gentleman,  I  let  this  villain  off,  and 
never  harmed  one  of  his  crew.  I  only  eased  him  of 
all  his  cash,  and  what  stores  I  stood  particularly  in 
need  of.  Now,  mark  the  return  which  the  ungrate 
ful  hound  made  me  for  all  this  kindness ! 

When  I  returned  to  the  cavern,  three  of  my  men 
were  very  urgent  for  leave  to  go  to  Matanzas  and 
spend  the  holidays.  I  permitted  them  to  go ;  and  the 
very  next  letter  which  I  had  from  Portuguese  Juan,  in 
formed  me  that  they  had  been  seen  by  this  captain  at 
a  cockpit,  denounced  to  the  government,  condemned  on 
the  evidence  of  the  same  villain,  and  hanged  outright, 
in  spite  of  all  the  exertions  Juan  made  in  their  favour. 
However,  I  dare  say  he  has  got  his  deserts  before 
this. 


r^^^^rtffr^tiflflflhflfiJUilfrflfljfrjnft'ftiftifrfllfr^'CTiijyro  JPO^fr^^^C 
o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  "o  o  o  o  o  -'* 

'..P.!  4 
o  5 

O  ;! 

:°:1 

'.P.- 3 

;.,,...  ;.-r«i!5 

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo  . 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


JOURNAL. 


December  10,  18 — . 

HAVE  now  thrown  away  my  cane. 
My  lately  fractured  limb  is  sound 
and  straight.  My  health  is  excel 
lent;  pockets  full;  spirits  above 
par.  In  short,  Ramon  is  himself 
once  more. 

But  still  my  vessel  does  not 
return.  I  marvel  at  the  length 
of  the  present  cruise.  I  must 
leave  old  Rosa  to  take  care  of 
the  cave,  and  sally  forth  in  quest 
of  intelligence. 

Let  me  consider.  I  must  mas 
querade  it  a  little.  What  dress 
and  character  shall  I  assume.  I  think  I  should  like 
to  visit  a  little  among  the  neighbouring  estates. 

An  officer  ?  No,  that  won't  do.  I  shall  of  course 
fall  in  with  other  officers,  who  will  inquire  the  number 
of  my  regiment.  A  traveller,  an  invalid  from  the 
United  States  ?  I  think  I  may  pass  for  an  invalid,  for 
I  have  lost  flesh  during  my  confinement.  Besides,  there 
are  plenty  of  letters  of  recommendation,  which  I  have 

107 


108  AN    EXCURSION. 

recently  taken  from  invalids  on  their  way  to  our 
hospitable  island,  in  return  for  curing  them  of  all  their 
distempers  by  a  little  phlebotomy  and  warm  water; 
although  my  prescription  differed  from  Doctor  San- 
grado's,  in  that  the  water  was  salt,  and  was  warmed 
by  the  tropical  sun.  But  nobody  will  dispute  my 
claim,  I  think,  to  the  title  of  Sangrado.* 

Why  may  I  not  personate  one  of  those  rich  cava 
liers  in  the  windward  part  of  the  island,  who  own 
immense  tracts  of  pasture-land,  and  live  by  selling 
cattle  in  the  market  of  Havana?  I  can  count  doub 
loons  with  the  richest  of  them.  There  is  one  objec 
tion  to  this.  These  fellows  generally  wear  the  Mon- 
tero  dress,  and  I  feel  in  the  mood  for  dressing  gayly. 

I  think,  on  the  whole,  that  I  will  visit  the  neigh 
bouring  gentry  in  the  character  of  a  planter's  son,  from 
the  region  near  St.  Jago  de  Cuba,  who  is  travelling 
for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  an  estate,  with  an  inten 
tion  of  settling  upon  it. 

This  will  do.  Rosa,  bring  me  that  green  hunting- 
dress  and  cap.  It  just  fits  me.  Now  the  silver  spurs, 
the  silver-mounted  pistols,  and  sword.  I  must  myself 
perform  the  office  of  a  groom,  and  saddle  the  mule  I 
bought  yesterday.  Bring  me  the  holsters  covered 
with  leopard-skin.  Put  me  up  some  nice  linen  in  the 
valise.  There,  that  will  do.  I  must  purchase  what 
ever  else  I  may  want.  Take  care  of  yourself,  Rosa. 
Good  morning ! 

San  Martin  sugar  estate,  (ten  leagues  from  the 
cavern,}  December  \$th. — Bravo!  All  goes  on  well. 

*  A  piny  upon  the  Spanish  word. — TV. 


NEW    ACQUAINTANCES.  109 

I  came  to  this  estate  the  same  day  I  left  the  cavern. 
The  owner  is  an  old  acquaintance  of  my  father.  But 
he  does  not  in  the  least  suspect  who  I  am.  My  whis 
kers  are  so  large,  my  features  so  altered  and  blackened 
by  exposure,  notwithstanding  my  subsequent  confine 
ment  in  the  cave,  and  my  frame  is  so  enlarged,  that  I 
am  persuaded  my  own  father  would  not  know  me. 
Perhaps  I  may  try  him. 

On  dismounting  at  the  door  of  this  hospitable  man 
sion,  the  owner  came  out  himself,  arid,  as  is  the  custom 
of  the  country,  received  me  graciously,  and  invited 
me  in,  without  inquiring  my  name  or  business.  I  soon 
let  him  know  both.  My  present  name  is  Don  Ignacio 
Bermudez,  and  my  object  is  the  purchase  of  a  large 
sugar  estate,  or  land  enough  to  make  one.  It  is  imma 
terial  which. 

On  learning  these  important  particulars,  my  host 
promised  to  show  me  all  the  surrounding  country, 
(with  which,  by  the  way,  I  am  better  acquainted  than 
he,)  introduce  me  to  his  friends,  (who  were  once 
mine,)  and  promote  my  views  to  the  utmost  of  his 
power. 

I  was  then  introduced  to  his  lady  and  half  a  dozen 
marriageable  daughters.  I  suppose  the  old  Castilian 
considers  me  no  bad  matrimonial  speculation  for  one 
of  these  country  beauties.  There  is  the  delectable 
Chucha,  with  her  lustrous  black  eyes  and  slender  form; 
the  incomparable  Senorita  Luz,  with  her  stately  walk, 
and  her  graceful  movements  in  the  waltz ;  Delorita, 
the  sprightly,  laughing,  little  damsel 

Heavens!  how  can  I  trifle  so.  O,  Juanita !  Juanita! 

K 


110  REFLECTIONS. 

how  bitterly  the  memory  of  the  past  came  upon  me, 
when  I  found  myself  in  the  society  of  virtuous  females, 
for  the  first  time  since  I  parted  with  thee  ! 

Their  beauty,  their  innocent  gayety,  served  only  to 
recall  thy  fairer  image,  thy  purer  soul. 

Ah,  bitter,  relentless  fate !  lean  never  know  the 
joys  of  domestic  bliss.  No  sweet  prattler  will  ever 
call  me  father.  No  fond,  confiding  woman  will  ever 
lean  upon  my  bosom,  or  honour  me  with  the  title  of 
her  protector. 

How  many  such  have  I  bereaved  of  husbands  and 
sons !  How  many  hearts  have  been  rendered  deso 
late  by  this  blood-stained  hand  ! 

But  I  must  proceed  with  my  journal.  I  may  not 
reflect.  I  cannot  alter  my  destiny.  The  sight,  the 
thought  of  a  woman,  the  fairest  object  in  creation — 
that  which  gladdens  the  hearts  of  all  other  men,  brings 
only  horror  and  remorse  to  me.  The  loss  of  her  I 
loved,  drove  me  to  desperation.  All  the  subsequent 
lines  of  my  fearful  history  are  written  in  blood. 

Avaunt !  ye  images  of  murdered  men !  Silence !  vain 
echoes  of  mingled  groans  and  curses,  long  since  hushed 
Disturb  me  not !  I  do  but  fulfil  my  destiny. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

JOURNAL. 

San  Martin,  December  15th. 
HA.VE  been  riding  about  the  coun 
try  inspecting  lands.  I.  have 
visited  many  of  my  old  haunts, 
where  I  used  to  gather  flow 
ers,  and  examine  their  structure  and  admire  their 
contrivance  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  a  naturalist. 
These  scenes  are  full  of  sweet  and  bitter  recollections. 
Many  a  time  I  have  been  on  the  point  of  throwing 
myself  from  my  horse,  and  tumbling  about  upon  the 
grass,  or  climbing  after  a  passion-flower,  or  a  parasite 
plant ;  but  the  recollection  that  I  had  companions  to 
wonder  at  me,  and  a  character  to  support,  restrained 
me.  It  is  curious  how  ignorant  of  natural  science 
most  of  my  countrymen  are.  I  had  an  amusing  ex 
ample  of  it,  at  the  time  when  I  used  to  go  out  after 
plants.  I  had  been  out  all  day ;  my  clothes  were  torn 
and  soiled ;  my  tin  box,  full  of  specimens,  was  slung 
over  my  shoulder ;  some  sprigs  of  forest-flowers  were 
stuck  in  my  hat-band ;  I  had  my  pockets  stuffed  full 
of  plants,  and  carried  vines  and  creeping  tendrils  upon 

-111 


112  NEWS. 

my  back.  In  this  plight  I  met  some  Monteros  on 
horseback.  I  trudged  on  without  noticing  them ;  but 
they  pulled  up  their  horses,  and  looked  at  me  with 
every  appearance  of  wonder. 

I  thought  they  were  admiring  my  diligence  and  zeal 
in  the  cause  of  science,  till,  just  as  I  had  passed  by, 
one  of  them,  in  the  genuine  tone  of  compassion,  ex 
claimed,  "  Poor  crazy  man!  poor  crazy  man !" 

I  have  had  a  great  deal  of  serious  chat  with  my  host 
about  lands,  and  the  art  of  sugar-making,  and  the 
management  of  negroes.  I  cannot  help  laughing  to 
myself,  to  see  with  what  deference  my  opinions  are 
treated,  now  that  I  am  considered  a  rich  man. 

However,  this  is  all  amusement.  The  real  business 
of  my  present  expedition  is,  if  possible,  to  hear  some 
thing  about  my  vessel.  I  have  avoided  asking  ques 
tions.  That  is  not  the  way  to  hear  news. 

This  day  my  wishes  were  gratified  in  part.  Some 
merchants,  from  Havana,  came  out  to  visit  my  host. 
We  were  sitting,  smoking,  in  the  balcony,  after  din 
ner,  when  the  conversation  happened  to  turn  on  com 
mercial  affairs. 

"  Not  many  vessels  in  from  the  United  States  late 
ly,"  observed  one  of  the  merchants. 

"No,"  said  another,  "they  are  afraid  of  Ramon 
the  Rover." 

I  smoked  on,  and  admired  a  beautiful  moss-rose, 
which  one  of  the  ladies  had  succeeded  in  rearing  in  a 
vase,  and  had  placed  on  a  stand  in  the  balcony. 

"A  cool  fellow,  that  Don  Ramon.     He  has  given 


NEWS.  113 

the  Yankees  considerable  trouble.  Has  any  thing 
been  heard  of  him  lately?"  said  another  merchant. 

"  Why,  did  you  not  hear  of  his  sinking  a  New  York 
ship,  the  other  day,  after  taking  out  all  the  specie,  and 
murdering  all  the  crew  except  one  poor  fellow,  who 
had  lain  concealed  among  the  sugar-boxes,  and  escaped 
on  a  plank,  after  the  pirates  had  knocked  in  the  bow- 
ports  and  left  the  vessel  ?" 

"  O,  yes,  that  is  old  news.  We  had  that  last  week. 
I  thought  he  might  have  been  doing  more  mischief 
since.  Was  there  not  a  rumour  of  his  bringing  a  brig 
into  the  bay  of  Cadenas?" 

"  Mum,"  whispered  the  other  merchant,  "  say  not  a 
word  of  that.  Some  of  our  neighbours  have  gone 
down  to  make  purchases."  The  conversation  changed. 

Thinks  I  to  myself,  "Bernardo  has  not  been  idle." 

This  evening,  while  most  of  the  company  were  list 
ening  to  the  Senorita  Chucha,  who  was  accompanying 
her  own  admirable  singing  of  some  national  songs, 
with  the  piano,  I  strolled  to  another  part  of  the  hall, 
and  fell  in  with  a  little  sociable  group ;  three  of  the 
young  ladies,  danghters  of  my  host,  were  listening  to 
one  of  the  merchants,  who  was  retailing  wonderful 
accounts  of  a  certain  great  personage. 

"Who  is  this  terrible  Ramon?"  inquired  Delorita. 

"  Ah,  there  is  the  mystery,"  replied  the  city  oracle; 
"  he  is  a  most  extraordinary  being,  and  affords  matter 
of  speculation  for  much  older  heads  than  yours,  Se 
norita.    Some  say  he  is  an  old  Castilian,  that  fought  at 
Cape  St.  Vincent.    Others,  that  he  is  an  Englishman, 


114  NEWS. 

who  turned  pirate  because,  after  thirty  years'  hard 
service,  a  stripling,  a  right  honourable  jackanapes,  of 
no  experience,  was  promoted  over  his  head.  An  Ame 
rican  captain  who  had  been  plundered  by  him,  told 
me  that  he  was  a  Frenchman.  He  knew  it  by  the 
way  in  which  he  pronounced  the  English  language. 
At  any  rate,  he  is  a  strange  fellow." 

"  Is  he  always  cruel  ?"  inquired  Delorita. 

"  By  no  means,"  said  the  merchant,  "  one  of  our 
captains,  who  treated  him  politely,  not  only  escaped 
ill  treatment,  but  actually  received  a  present  of  three 
dozen  of  champagne  from  him.  Then  he  never  suffers 
a  lady  to  be  ill  used ;  and  has  spared  more  than  one 
vessel  on  account  of  the  female  passengers." 

"  I  wish  many  of  our  cavaliers  on  shore  were  half 
as  polite,"  said  the  fair  Senorita  Luz.  "  Is  he  hand 
some?" 

"  Our  captain  says  that  he  is.  He  is  very  tall  and 
muscular ;  walks  his  own  quarter-deck  like  an  emperor, 
and  holds  his  crew  in  most  absolute  subjection.  If 
his  lot  had  placed  him  in  a  higher  sphere,  his  talents 
for  command  would  have  given  his  name  a  brilliant 
place  in  history.  His  crew,  it  is  said,  are  devotedly 
attached  to  him,  watch  every  sign  and  look  of  his,  and 
dare  every  danger  when  he  commands." 

"Does  this  famous  personage  ever  visit  Havana?" 
inquired  I,  at  the  same  moment  edging  forward  into 
the  circle  with  a  careless  air. 

"I  dare  say  he  does,"  replied  the  merchant;  "most 
of  the  pirates  visit  the  city.  Indeed,  I  should  suppose 
it  was  the  best  place  for  concealment,  when  they  are 
A»  shore." 


SCENES    IN    SOUTH    AMERICA.  115 

"  Upon  my  word,  I  wish  he  would  come  here,"  ex 
claimed  Delorita;  "I  admire  a  hero  of  all  things;  and 
there  seems  to  be  quite  a  dash  of  chivalry  about  his 
character.  I  hope  that  I  shall  see  him,  some  day." 

"Perhaps,  senorita,"  said  the  merchant,  "your 
desire  to  see  a  hero  might  be  gratified  without  the  risk 
of  an  interview  with  this  desperate  character." 

"Indeed,  I  hardly  know  how,"  rejoined  the  lady; 
"  in  these  milk-and-water  times,  heroes  arc  a  particu 
larly  scarce  commodity." 

"  Lady,"  said  I,  "if  you  could  pass  a  few  weeks  in 
South  America,  you  would  by  no  means  complain  of 
the  peace  and  quietness  which  reigns  in  our  own  more 
fortunate  country.  There,  the  mother  takes  leave  of 
her  son  when  he  sets  out  on  an  excursion  of  a  few 
leagues,  with  as  many  misgivings,  as  if  he  were  bound 
on  a  perilous  voyage ;  the  wife,  in  her  husband's  ab 
sence,  starts  at  every  sound  in  the  street,  and  runs  to 
the  windows,  dreading  to  see  him  brought  home  wound 
ed  or  dead.  Where  the  war  rages,  extermination  is 
its  law.  The  weak  and  defenceless  share  the  fate  of 
the  enemy  in  arms.  The  Castilian  blood  which  runs 
in  your  veins,  fair  lady,  and  which  mounts  to  your 
cheek  at  the  thought  of  your  chivalrous  ancestors, 
would,  in  that  ill-fated  country,  be  a  sufficient  crime  to 
insure  your  destruction.  Heroes  are  common  enough 
there ;  for  a  man  must  be  ready  to  brave  any  thing,  to 
exist  in  a  country  so  torn  with  intestine  commotion. 
Could  you  imagine  half  the  evils  of  a  civil  war,  you 
would  prefer  these  milk-and-water  times,  this  Arcadian 


TOUGH    YARNS. 

quietness,  and  the  peaceful  society  of  your  country  re 
sidence,  to  a  sight  of  all  the  heroes  who  '  cry  havoc, 
and  let  slip  the  dogs  of  war.' ' 

"  O,  don't  preach  at  me,"  replied  the  laughing  girl, 
"but  tell  me  something  more  about  this  famous  robber. 
Did  you  ever  hear  of  him,  before  this  evening?" 

"Certainly,"  replied  I;  "no  one  can  even  visit  Ha 
vana  without  hearing  some  of  his  exploits.  But,  as 
our  friend  here  resides  in  that  great  centre  of  intelli 
gence,  I  dare  say  he  can  give  you  much  more  satisfac 
tory  accounts  of  him  than  I  can." 

Upon  this  hint,  the  merchant  resumed  his  string  of 
marvellous  stories.  I  listened  a  few  moments ;  then 
turned  on  my  heel,  and  left  him  in  the  middle  of  a  tre 
mendous  battle,  in  which,  according  to  his  account,  I 
enacted  more  wonders  than  ever  did  Paul  Jones,  or 
all  the  buccaneers  of  the  old  time. 


:»»,,'!•  .........  .......     >•  •         •      •'    .....  '  -•  •         .     »•      '     «      ......  •  ..........     •'•    I  **>••*  tV^,» 

-jjgB&aalgggggr.- 

:  C  0  O"  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  0  O  O  O  O  O  O.  O  Q  O  O.  O.  O  O  O  O  C  O  O  O  d  O  O  O.  O  ,- 


:  ;  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  6  Q;  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  O  Q  O  O  O 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


JOURNAL. 


The  Cavern,  January  1st,  18 — . 
IE  intelligence  that  my  crew  had 
brought  a  prize  into  the  bay  of  Ca- 
denas,  which  had  fallen  from  one  of 
the  merchants  in  conversation,  at 
the  San  Martin,  determined  me  to 
return  immediately  to  the  cavern,  as 
some  of  my  people  had  probably  ar 
rived  there  during  my  absence.  I 
accordingly  set  off  from  that  estate 
the  next  morning,  with  many  invita 
tions  to  return,  and  many  kind  wishes 
from  the  old  planter  and  his  family. 
Curiosity,  or  perhaps  some  other 
feeling,  prompted  me  to  pass  through  my  father's 
plantation,  and  take  one  look  at  my  relations — I  wish 
they  had  never  forfeited  the  title  of  friends. 

The  old  planter  whom  I  had  been  visiting,  had 
desired  me  to  call  at  the  estate,  little  dreaming  that  it 
was  my  own  father's,  in  order  to  deliver  a  letter  of 
some  consequence,  and  had  given  me  very  particular 

117 


118  MY    HOME. 

directions  about  a  road  which,  by  the  way,  I  had 
travelled  a  thousand  times.  Being  thus  provided  with 
an  errand,  I  was  sure  of  not  exciting  particular  atten 
tion,  and  however  bold  the  step  may  seem,  I  did  not 
feel  that  I  was  running  any  great  risk  of  discovery. 

I  therefore  rode  fearlessly  up  the  long  avenue  of 
palm  and  orange  trees,  in  broad  daylight,  dismounted 
at  the  door,  and  delivered  my  horse  into  the  hands 
of  a  slave,  who  had  borne  me  on  his  back  a  thousand 
times.  He  was  a  thick-lipped,  goggle-eyed,  ugly-look 
ing  fellow,  but  one  of  tSie  best-natured,  kindest-hearted 
creatures  in  the  universe.  He  would  have  capered  an 
hour  with  joy,  if  he  had  known  who  it  was  that  care 
lessly  tossed  the  bridle  into  his  hands.  But  he  showed 
no  token  of  recognition. 

I  entered  the  hall.  It  was  empty.  The  furniture 
remained  nearly  as  I  left  it.  But  there  was  a  certain 
air  of  desertion  and  desolation,  which  showed  that 
my  father's  house  was  not  now,  as  formerly,  a  favour 
ite  resort  for  the  gay,  lively  planters  of  the  neighbour 
hood.  I  had  never  seen  the  hall  empty  of  visiters  at 
that  hour  of  the  day,  before ;  and  the  change  struck 
me  as  ominous. 

The  door  of  my  father's  apartment,  which  opened 
into  the  hall,  stood  ajar.  I  had  scarcely  cast  my  eyes 
about,  upon  the  old  familiar  objects,  before  a  greyhound 
came  bounding  out  of  it,  and,  running  to  me,  began 
fawning,  whining,  and  wriggling  his  whole  body  with 
delight.  He  was  an  old  pet  of  mine ;  and  when  I 
ventured  to  stroke  his  head,  he  burst  out  into  a  loud 
bark  of  joy. 


MY    FATHER.  119 

This  sound  seemed  to  occasion  a  stir  in  my  father's 
room,  and,  an  instant  after,  he  entered  the  hall. 

How  changed! — Though  little  more  than  fifty  jears 
old,  he  was  bowed  down,  and  enfeebled  as  with  the 
weight  of  fourscore.  His  countenance  was  pallid,  and 
marked  with  care  and  sorrow,  and  he  glanced  round 
*llic  room  with  that  timid,  imbecile  air,  which  is  the 
precursor,  ifcnot  the  symptom  of  utter  dotage. 

I  had  left  him  in  full  vigour  and  pride  of  manhood, 
haughty,  overbearing^  shrewd,  observant,  skilled  in 
the  ways  of  men,  and  not  easily  deceived  ;  and  it  will 
readily  be  supposed  that  notwithstanding  the  lapse  of 
years,  I  had  expected  no  ordinary  trial  at  this  inter 
view.  Whether  those  who  shall  read  this  confession 
will  think  the  better  or  the  worse  of  me  for  it,  I  can 
not  help  saying  that)  wronged  as  I  was,  I  had  prepared 
myself  to  repel  his  scrutiny  with  a  haughty  indiffer 
ence,  and,  should  a  discovery  take  place,  to  answer 
reproaches  with  scorn  and  defiance. 

But  the  sight  of  my  poor  father,  so  withered, — bro 
ken, — blighted,  completely  melted  me.  The  whole 
truth  flashed  upon  my  mind  in  a  moment.  I  saw  at  a 
single  glance  that  he  had  loved  me ;  that  his  ear  had 
been  abused,  that  my  brother  had  deceived  him ;  that 
he  had  really  mourned  me  as  dead,  and  that  he  was 
broken-hearted. 

My  feelings  on  delivering  the  letter  to  him,  as  a 
stranger,  beggar  all  description.  I  am  a  wicked  man, 
a  sinner  of  no  ordinary  degree  of  guilt,  but  I  am  not 
a  monster.  There  is  warm  blood  still  circulating 
about  my  heart.  The  ties  of  nature,  which  I  had 


120  RETURN    TO   THE    CAVE. 

supposed  to  be  sundered  by  injury  and  outrage,  re 
sumed  all  their  force  in  an  instant.  I  could  have 
thrown  myself  on  my  father's  neck  and  wept. 

Suppressing  or  rather  concealing  my  emotion  with 
difficulty,  I  hurried  out  of  his  presence  as  soon  as  pos 
sible,  and,  mounting  my  horse,  continued  my  ride 
through  the  plantation. 

It  was  well  that  I  did  not  meet  my  brother  on  my 
way.  The  sufferings  which  he  had  brought  on  my 
father,  as  well  as  myself,  exasperated  me  more  than 
ever  against  him.  I  am  glad  that  I  did  not  meet  him 
in  crossing  the  estate ;  for  I  would  rather  not  incur 
the  guilt  of  his  blood,  and  if  we  had  met,  I  will  not 
answer  for  what  might  have  been  the  consequences. 

On  arriving  here,  (at  the  cavern,)  I  find  Old  Rosa, 
who  reports  that  no  one  has  been  here  during  my 
absence.  She  has  gone  up  to  the  lookout  on  the  hill, 
every  day,  without  seeing  any  vessel  approach  the 
shore. 

I  will  remain  here  a  few  days.  Some  of  my  people 
will  soon  arrive  from  Cadenas,  and  report  the  state  of 
affairs  there. 


^          CHAPTER  XVII. 


JOURNAL. 


The  Cavern,  January  4th,  18 — 

TERDAY,  being  ra- 
ther  tired  of  waiting 
here  for  the  return  of 
my  people,  I  strolled 
down  to  the  sea-shore; 
and  finding  a  fishing- 
boat,  with  a  couple  of 
men  in  it,  I  hired  them 
to  take  me  out  to  a  key,*  a  few  miles  from  the  shore. 
As  the  sea  was  smooth,  we  had  a  pleasant  sail,  and 
soon  landed  on  the  island,  and  began  to  explore  it. 
For,  although  it  was  so  near  our  rendezvous,  I  had 
never  set  foot  upon  it  before. 

As  we  approached  a  high  rock  which  jutted  out,  so  as 
nearly  to  divide  the  beach,  we  heard  the  voice  of  some 
one  singing,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  rock.  There  was 
no  vessel  in  sight.  We  had  always  supposed  the  island 
to  be  entirely  desolate  and  uninhabited.  Indeed,  there 
was  scarcely  a  tree  or  shrub  upon  it,  and  it  was  not 
more  than  a  mile  in  circumference,  and  its  surface  was 
made  up  of  rocks  and  sand.  We  concealed  ourselvei 

*  A  small  rocky  island.  k 


A    NEW    CHARACTER. 

»  . 

in  a  recess  of  the  rock  and  listened.  The  song  was 
in  the  English  language,  and  seemed  to  be  a  country  fel 
low's  account  of  his  adventures.  I  can  recollect  but 
one  verse.  It  ran  thus : 

"And  there  we  saw  a  lusty  gun 
As  big  as  a  log  of  maple ; 
They  had  it  on  a  little  cart — 
A  load  for  father's  cattle. 

Yankee  Doodle,  keep  it  up, 
Yankee  Doodle  Dandy,"  &c. 

When  he  was  tired  of  singing,  he  began  to  whistle 
tli«3  same  tune,  in  which  he  appeared  to  take  great 
delight,  if  we  might  judge  by  the  loudness  and  shrill 
ness  of  his  tones,  which  made  the  rocks  echo  far  and 
wide. 

My  curiosity  became  so  much  excited,  that  I  crept 
up  to  the  top  of  the  rock,  and  took  a  survey  of  the 
opposite  side.  Sheltered  from  the  sun  by  a  projecting 
cliff,  and  seated  on  a  piece  of  drift-wood,  sat  a  tall, 
raw-boned  man,  a  fair  specimen  of  the  Yankee  genus, 
dressed  in  a  half-sailor,  half-farmer  costume,  and  rather 
out  at  the  elbows.  His  face  was  turned  from  me,  and 
he  seemed  to  be  watching  for  the  approach  of  vessels. 
He  was  evidently  ignorant  of  our  landing. 

As  he  was  entirely  alone,  I  saw  that  there  was  no 
imprudence  in  accosting  him,  and  accordingly  de 
scended  from  my  lookout,  joined  my  companions,  and 
walked  round  the  cliff.  As  soon  as  he  saw  us  ap 
proaching,  he  jumped  up  and  came  forward  at  a  pretty 
brisk  pace  to  meet  us.  I  was  foremost,  and  received 
his  first  salutation,  which  was  rather  of  the  familiar 
sort. 


STRIKING    A    BARGAIN.  123 

"How  d'ye  do?  How  arc  ye.  I  am  very  glad  to 
see  you,"  said  he,  holding  out  his  hand  to  me.  As  I 
was  not  upon  my  own  quarter-deck,  I  determined  to 
be  hail-fellow-well-met,  if  it  were  only  for  the  sake 
of  amusing  myself  by  studying  the  fellow's  character. 
I  accordingly  shook  hands  with  him,  returned  his 
salutation,  and  inquired  how  he  had  come  upon  the 
island. 

"  How  did  I  come  here,"  said  he,  "  why,  how  did 
you  come  here,  yourself?" 

I  thought  this  an  odd  way  of  answering  a  civil 
question,  but  replied  that  I  came  from  the  land  in  my 
boat  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  cliff. 

"Got  a  boat  here,  have  ye?"  said  he.  "O!  well, 
then,  Mister — what  may  I  call  your  name,  sir?" 

"  O'Reilly,"  replied  I,  it  being  always  a  rule  of 
mine  to  take  a  respectable  name,  when  I  am  travelling 
incog. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Riley,"  said  he,  "why  can't  you  just  set 
me  and  my  things  ashore  there,  on  the  main  land.  I 
don't  like  staying  here  on  this  little  island  at  all." 

"  Things !  why,  I  don't  see  that  you  have  any  things; 
and  as  for  going  to  the  main  land,  perhaps,  it  might 
be  doing  you  no  kindness,  for  you  seem  to  be  very 
happy  and  contented  here." 

"  O  !  as  for  that  matter,  I  calculate  I  can  get  along 
well  enough  here,  till  something  turns  up.  But  I 
should  like  well  enough  to  go  ashore  with  ye,  Mr.  Ri 
ley,  and  I'll  pay  ye  what's  right,  for  your  trouble." 

"  What  would  you  be  willing  to  give  ?" 

"Why,  Mr.  Riley,  what  will  you  take?" 


124       THE  YANKEE'S  NARRATIVE 

"Name  a  price." 

"  Make  me  an  offer,  Mr.  Riley." 

"How  much  luggage  have  you  got?" 

He  took  me  to  a  deep  recess  in  the  rock  where  ho  had 
deposited  a  small  sea-chest,  a  box  of  crackers,  a  piece 
of  pork,  a  keg  of  water,  another  of  molasses,  and  a 
mattrass.  In  addition  to  these,  there  was  a  consider 
able  heap  of  the  beautiful  shells  with  which  the  West 
Indian  keys  abound,  and  several  bits  of  coral,  zoo- 
phites,  &c.,  which  he  had  been  collecting  on  the  beach. 

Knowing  that  it  was  in  vain  to  ask  him  questions, 
unless  I  wished  to  be  questioned  myself,  I  determined 
to  lead  him  into  giving  an  account  of  himself,  by  some 
roundabout  way. 

"  These  are  very  pretty  shells,"  said  I,  taking  up 
one,  "  I  should  like  to  make  a  collection  of  some." 

"  I  Qan't  let  you  have  any  of  them,  Mr.  Riley,"  said 
he,  "  for  I  am  going  to  carry  them  home  to  Varmount 
state,  to  give  to  my  aunt  Kezia  for  curosities.  You 
see,  Mr.  Riley,  when  I  came  away  from  home,  says 
my  aunt  Kezia  to  me,  says  she,  Jonathan,  now  you're 
going  to  Portland,  to  get  aboard  of  a  vessel  and  go  off 
to  the  Stingies,  where  there  are  mountains  of  sugar 
and  rivers  of  molasses.  Now,  I  want  you,  says  she, 
to  bring  me  home  all  the  curosities  you  can  find,  won't 
ye,  Jonathan?  I  told  her  I  would;  for  my  aunt  Kezia 
is  a  very  clever  woman,  and  knows  as  much  as  Dea 
con  Tibbets  or  the  minister  either,  though  I  say  it, 
who  shouldn't.  So,  when  I  got  out  to  the  Vannah,  I 
bought  her  a  green  parrot  with  red  on  his  head,  and  six 
cocoa-nuts,  with  milk  in  them,  and  a  great  many  red 


THE    YANKEE    MAROONED.  125 

Stingey  beans.  But  the  day  after  we  sailed  from  the 
Vannah,  we  had  a  regular  fight  with  a  pirate,  Mr. 
Riley.  I  stood  at  the  side  of  the  vessel  with  a  hand 
spike,  when  they  were  coming  to  board  with  us,  which 
the  captain  said  would  not  be  right.  So  every  one 
that  come  near  where  I  was,  and  tried  to  get  into  our 
vessel,  I  gave  him  a  lick  on  the  head  with  my  hand 
spike,  and  knocked  him  into  the  sea,  calling  out  at  the 
same  time  to  him,  'The  captain  says  you  mustn't 
come  up  here !'  But  they  took  us,  Mr.  Riley,  for  all 
that,  and  hove  all  the  rest  of  the  folks  into  the  sea  ex 
cept  me.  The  captain  of  the  pirates  would  not  allow 
me  to  be  killed.  I  don't  know  why,  but  he  said  he 
would  maroon  me.  He  put  me  on  this  island  last 
night  with  these  here  things,  and  said  he  was  going 
into  the  bay  yonder.  But  a  vessel  came  in  sight  early 
this  morning,  which  he  called  a  Hornet,  and  he  sailed 
away  to  the  eastward,  as  fast  as  he  could  go,  leaving 
me  here  all  alone.  So  I  walked  about  on  the  b«ach, 
and  not  having  any  thing  better  to  do,  I  picked  up 
these  here  shells  and  things  for  Aunt  Kezia;  for  the 
pirates  took  away  all  my  other  curosities.  So  I 
can't  let  you  have  any  of  them  shells,  Mr.  Riley.  But 
I'll  give  you  what  is  right,  if  you  have  a  mind  to  set 
me  on  to  the  main  land." 

It  was  curious  to  see  a  fellow  in  such  desperate 
circumstances,  driving  a  bargain  for  his  life.  His 
courage  was  of  that  reckless,  careless  sort,  which  is 
just  the  thing  in  our  business ;  nor  was  his  immeasura 
ble  confidence  in  his  own  resources  a  less  powerful 
recommendation.  I  resolved  to  try  my  old  trade  of  a 


126        THE  YANKEE  IN  THE  CAVERN. 

recruiting  officer,  putting  the  case  hypothetically  at 
first. 

"  I  should  have  thought,"  said  I,  "  that  the  pirates 
would  have  asked  you  to  join  them,  after  seeing  and 
feeling  how  well  you  could  play  with  the  handspike." 

"O  !  they  did,  Mr.  Riley,"  replied  he,  "I  forgot  to 
tell  you  about  that.  They  wanted  me  to  stay  with 
them,  and  offered  me  high  wages,  too.  But  I  did  not 
like  it.  Bad  business,  Mr.  Riley.  Bad  company, 
talking  all  sorts  of  French  and  Spanish.  Why,  there 
was  not  above  a  dozen  folks  aboard  that  could  talk 
English,  and  they  were  awful  hard  swearers.  Besides, 
Mr.  Riley,  it  a'nt  an  honest  calling.  What  would  my 
aunt  Kezia  say,  if  she  should  hear  of  my  turning  pi 
rate  ?  and  what  would  Deacon  Tibbets  and  all  them 
folks  there,  at  home,  in  our  town,  say.  I  told  the 
captain,  I  would  not  do  no  such  thing,  and  he  put  me 
on  here  with  only  a  little  pork  and  molasses,  all  out 
of  spite." 

It  is  perhaps  rather  a  bold  and  imprudent  step ;  but 
as  I  am  fond  of  natural  curiosities,  and  could  not  help 
being  amused  with  this  animal,  I  have  actually  brought 
him  home  to  the  cavern  with  me,  where  he  finds  great 
cause  for  wonderment.  All  the  time  I  have  been 
writing  this  account  of  him,  he  has  been  staring  about 
the  cavern,  turning  over  every  thing  he  sees,  and,  ex 
claiming  every  half-minute,  "  Well,  that  there  beats  all 
natur." 

He  intends  to  carry  home  some  of  the  stalactites  as 
"  curosities,"  for  his  aunt  Kezia,  and  believes  that  I 
am  a  country  merchant.  Every  thing  that  is  odd  about 


CONJECTURES.  127 

the  premises,  he  supposes  to  result  from  the  customs  of 
the  country.  When  I  have  amused  myself  long  enough, 
I  must  find  some  way  to  get  rid  of  him.  I  should  not 
like  to  harm  him ;  but  may  be  obliged  to  silence  him 
in  a  summary  manner. 

The  information  which  I  have  extracted  from  him, 
leaves  no  doubt  in  my  mind,  that  Bernardo  was  the 
captain  who  spared  his  life.  I  feel  some  solicitude 
about  my  worthy  coadjutor.  Perhaps  the  American 
frigate  overtook  him.  A  day  or  two  will  probably 
decide  the  question  whether  the  Eagle  has  clutched 
his  enemy. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

JOURNAL. 

At  Sea,  February  1,  18 — . 
more  in  my  own  cabin,  with  my 
steel-hearted  heroes  about  me,  my  brave 
little  sea-boat  dashing  along  through  the 
curling  waves,  and  the  soft  tropical 
breezes  just  swelling  our  canvass,  I 
feel  at  home  ;  I  feel  the  old  spirit  kin 
dling  in  me.  I  should  like  to  fall  in  with 
a  Dutch  merchantman,  and,  after  taking  a  few  hard 
knocks,  to  sweep  her  decks  with  a  handful  of  boarders ; 
and  then  toss  the  heavy-bottomed  varlets  into  the  sea, 
and  open  their  stores  of  butter,  cheese,  and  choice 
Hollands. 

But  there  is  not  a  single  sail  in  sight;  so  I  will 
bring  up  my  journal  to  the  present  time. 

I  waited  thirteen  days  after  my  last  date  without 
hearing  a  syllable  from  Bernardo.  This  time  was 
spent  in  showing  my  new  protege,  Jonathan,  the 
curiosities  of  the  cavern  and  surrounding  woods,  and 
.telling  him  most  unconscionable  tough  stories  about 
our  West  Indian  manners  and  customs.  In  some  of 

128 


THE    YANKEE    SENT   OFF.  129 

these  he  detected  me;  for  the  fellow  possessed  the  most 
singular  mixture  of  simplicity  and  shrewdness  I  ever 
saw  united  in  the  same  person.  So  long  as  I  confined 
myself  to  the  manners  and  habits  of  the  country,  iie 
believed  and  wondered;  but  as  soon  as  I  attempted  to 
put  off  some  monstrous  misrepresentation  of  the  nature 
of  things,  some  impossible  fact  in  philosophy,  or  outra 
geous  solecism  in  morals,  he  would  interrupt  me  with 
if  No,  no,  Mr.  Riley,  that  is  agin  all  reason." 

In  return  for  these  civilities  he  sung  to  me  a  hundred 
and  fifty  verses  of  his  favourite  Yankee  Doodle,  a  great 
many  of  which  the  varlet*  must  have  made  as  he  went 
along.  He  seemed  to  be  well  contented  for  a  week ; 
and  then  began  to  be  impatient  for  the  arrival  of  a 
friend  of  mine,  who,  I  told  him,  was  coming  from  Ha 
vana,  and  would  take  him  back  to  that  city,  and  send 
him  to  his  own  country.  He  was  apprehensive  that 
he  should  not  be  able  to  pay  me  his  board ;  and  when 
I  told  him  to  make  himself  easy  on  that  point,  he  in 
vited  me  to  come  to  his  father's  house  whenever  I 
should  visit  Vermont. 

I  really  began  to  love  the  fellow,  for  he  was  almost 
the  first  specimen  of  a  downright  honest  man  I  had  ever 
met  with ;  and  I  became  somewhat  anxious  how  I 
should  dispose  of  him,  so  as  not  to  endanger  the  secret 
of  the  cavern,  without  taking  his  life. 

At  last,  the  very  day  before  Bernardo  arrived,  I 

exacted  from  him  a  promise  not  to  disclose  any  thing 

he  knew  about  me,  telling  him  that  my  goods  in  the 

cavern  were  smuggled,  and  that  the  place  must  not  be 

*  Picaro,  in  the  orieinal. 


130  BERNARDO'S  RETURN. 

known  to  the  government ;  and,  taking  him  to  a  nejgh- 
bouring  village,  sent  him  off  in  charge  of  a  muleteer, 
an  acquaintance  of  mine,  who  promised  to  see  him 
safe  on  hoard  some  American  vessel  in  Havana. 

I  think  his  account  of  this  country  will  astonish  his 
aunt  Kezia. 

The  next  day  our  little  schooner  came  into  the  bay, 
under  easy  sail,  and  cast  anchor  about  an  hour  before 
sunset.  I  was  on  the  lookout,  and  on  hastening  down 
to  the  landing-place,  met  Bernardo,  who  had  come  on 
shore  in  the  long-boat,  bringing  half  the  crew,  and  a 
quantity  of  doubloons.  The  first  question  I  asked 
him  was,  "Did  you  catch  the  scoundrel  who  informed 
against  us?" 

"Signior  Don  Ramon,"  replied  Bernardo,  "he  is 
as  dead  as  Hernando  Cortez;  I  shot  him  myself." 

"Very  well,  then  that  account  is  settled.  So  come 
along  with  me  to  the  cavern,  and  after  supper  you 
shall  give  an  account  of  your  cruise." 

He  was  not  slow  in  obeying  my  orders. 

That  night  we  had  a  splendid  supper.  The  old 
cavern  rang  with  our  songs  and  laughter.  The  tables 
groaned  under  their  loads  of  plate  and  cut  glass.  Wines 
of  the  choicest  kinds,  and  of  every  hue  and  flavour, 
fruits  from  the  north  and  south,  and  substantial  viands 
from  almost  every  country  of  Europe  and  America, 
were  brought  forth  from  our  stores,  to  honour  the  fes 
tive  occasion,  and  celebrate  the  happy  termination  of 
the  cruise,  and  the  complete  recovery  of  the  old  com 
mander. 

"Well,   Bernardo,"  said  I,  after  the  solids  were 


BERNARDO'S  NARRATIVE.  131 

discussed,  and  the  wine  had  begun  to  flow,  "what  sort 
of  a  cruise  have  you  had?" 

"Pleasant  enough,  Signior  Don  Ramon;  we  have 
had  plenty  of  work,  and  have  got  a  few  hard  knocks, 
and  some  doubloons." 

"  Yes.  I  see  you  have  a  clever  heap  of  bags  yonder. 
Some  of  our  fellows  swore  a  little  at  the  drudgery  of 
bringing  them  up  from  the  beach.  But  have  you  not 
shared?" 

"  O  yes,  Signior  Don  Ramon,  that  is  your  share, 
which  lies  there.  The  men  have  all  received  theirs ; 
and  insisted  that  you  should  have  a  tenth  of  the  whole." 

"  They  are  very  considerate.  I  am  much  obliged 
to  them.  I  had  not  expected  to  receive  any  part  of  the 
profits  of  this  cruise.  Where  did  you  fall  in  with  that 
Yankee  captain,  who,  I  suppose,  is  now  broiling  on  the 
everlasting  grills,  for  being  a  heretic,  and  an  informer?" 

"  Signior,  we  fell  in  with  him  the  second  day  after 
we  sailed.  He  was  becalmed.  We  got  our  sweeps, 
and  sent  the  boats  forward  with  tow-lines,  and  soon 
lay  alongside  of  him,  yard-arm  and  yard-arm,  fought 
him  fifteen  minutes,  and  silenced  his  six  guns ;  then 
boarded  and  swept  his  decks!" 

"Who  led  the  boarders  ?" 

"  I,"  exclaimed  a  bragging  fellow,  Justo,  by  name, 
who  was  always  first  at  mess-table,  and  last  at  quarters. 

"It  is  true,  signior,"  said  Bernardo,  "he  led  a 
party  of  boarders,  who  were  hardly  in  at  the  death ; 
having  left  our  own  deck  after  the  party  which  Toribio 
led  had  killed  nearly  all  the  Yankees,  and  got  complete 
possession  of  the  prize.  Toribio  deserves  the  credit 


182  BERNARDO'S  NARRATIVE. 

of  terminating  the  contest.  But  it  was  my  good  for 
tune  to  shoot  the  captain  with  a  blunderbuss,  as  he 
was  putting  his  speaking-trumpet  to  his  mouth." 

"  Bernardo,  you  deserve  immortal  honours  for  that 
same  deed.  Hurra,  there !  a  health  to  Bernardo ! 
Drink  it  standing.  A  health  to  Bernardo !  and  may 
he  live  a  thousand  years !  Hurra !" 

When  the  cheering  was  over,  the  conversation  was 
renewed.  The  men  were  variously  occupied  at  the 
different  tables.  Some  were  eagerly  recounting  their 
old  adventures  to  each  other.  Others  had  already 
begun  to  sport  their  doubloons  on  the  dice.  At  one 
corner  of  a  table  two  were  engaged  at  backgammon, 
and  near  them  a  third  was  carelessly  strumming  on  a 
guitar,  as  an  accompaniment  to  his  next  neighbour's 
song. 

Some  Englishmen,  whom  we  had  enlisted,  were 
still  at  their  favourite  business  of  eating;  having  fallen 
upon  a  capital  Westphalia  ham,  and  some  Cheshire 
cheese,  and  Spanish  olives,  which  they  could  not  bear 
to  quit,  so  long  as  a  morsel  remained,  and  the  London 
porter  held  out,  wherewith  they  were  washing  it  down. 
Three  Dutchmen  were  making  merry  in  their  own 
way,  with  their  short  pipes,  and  long  case-bottles  of 
gin,  while  most  of  the  Spaniards  and  Cubanos  con 
tented  themselves  with  claret,  sweetmeats,  and  cigars. 

The  choicer  wines  were  discussed  principally  by 
the  Germans  and  Frenchmen  of  the  crew. 

While  the  men  were  thus  enjoying  themselves,  each 
in  his  own  way,  1  proceeded  to  draw  from  Bernardo 
the  remaining  incidents  of  his  late  cruise. 


BERNARDO  GIVING  RAMON  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  HIS  CRUISE. 


134 


BERNARDO'S  NARRATIVE.  135 

"How  did  you  dispose  of  your  prize?" 

"  Scuttled  her,  signior,  after  we  had  taken  out  the 
specie,  a  chronometer,  and  a  quantity  of  provisions. 
She  had  no  cargo  worth  meddling  with.  Nothing  but 
sugar,  coffee,  and  molasses.  So  we  sent  the  whole  to 
the  bottom." 

"  Did  not  you  take  out  her  guns?" 

"  O,  yes,  signior,  and  all  the  small-arms,  and  the 
magazine.  I  forgot  to  mention  them." 

<{  What  was  your  next  adventure?" 

"  The  next  affair  was  with  a  Boston  brig,  bound  to 
Havana,  with  doubloons,  after  a  cargo  of  sugars  for 
the  European  market.  She  was  not  armed,  and  I  was 
for  sparing  the  prisoners ;  but  Manuel  and  Diego  sug 
gested  that  '  dead  men  tell  no  tales.'  We  had  driven 
them  all  into  the  forecastle.  They  were  called  up 
singly,  stabbed,  and  thrown  overboard.  One  of  them, 
a  boy  of  sixteen,  and  the  son  of  the  captain,  clung  to 
Diego's  knees,  and  begged  for  mercy,  till  the  knife 
silenced  him " 

"  Pshaw !  hang  your  details  and  long  stories.  Get 
on  faster  with  your  account  of  the  cruise." 

"  I  ask  your  pardon,  Signior  Don  Ramon.  I  had 
forgotten  that  you  hate  long  stories.  So,  to  cut  the 
matter  short,  we  plundered  the  brig,  and  sunk  her;  and 
then  stood  away  towards  Cape  St.  Antonio,  fell  in 
with  a  French  ship,  plundered  and  sunk  her;  with  a 
New  York  schooner,  plundered  and  burnt  her ;  with  a 
Dutch  ship,  plundered  and  burnt  her ;  with  a  schooner 
from  Charleston,  plundered  and  sunk  her " 

"And  to  conclude,"  interrupted  I. 


136  BERNARDO'S  NARRATIVE. 

« 
"  We  have  brought  home  a  round  sum  in  doubloons 

and  dollars,  with  plenty  of  rich  goods,  and  choice  pro 
visions,  with  the  loss  of  only  six  men,  who  fell  in  the 
action  with  the  Yankee." 

"  One  thing  more  I  would  inquire  about,  Bernardo. 
How  happened  it,  that  none  of  the  crew  came  to  see 
me,  when  you  brought  in  a  prize  at  the  bay  of  Ca- 
denas?" 

"  O,  Signior  Don  Ramon,  we  were  only  there  two 
days ;  for  a  messenger  came  from  our  friend  Don  Juan 
at  Matanzas,  informing  us  that  there  was  a  fierce  Yan 
kee  admiral, — Admiral  Porter,  I  think  they  call  him, 
a  real  fire-eater, — who  was  just  about  fiittng  out  a 
boat  expedition,  to  scour  the  coast  in  pursuit  of  rovers. 
So  I  thought  it  advisable  to  cut  and  run ;  for  he  would 
have  found  us  all  at  sixes  and  sevens,  trading  with 
Monteros,  and  city  shopkeepers,  and  might  have  spoiled 
our  traffic.  I  did  not  wait  for  a  visit  from  his  blue 
jacket  crew,  but  got  under  weigh  in  two  hours  after 
the  news  came.  So  I  could  not  conveniently  despatch 
a  messenger  to  you  at  the  cavern." 

I  was  impatient  to  be  at  sea  again ;  and,  after  a  few 
days'  recreation,  of  which  the  men  stood  in  need,  I 
gave  orders  for  sailing  on  a  short  cruise.  We  have 
now  been  at  sea  three  days. 


jjjgflutgMifl^gggtmfl^ 
!&Mddd&^66&&M$44^^&M£&££?*3|  s 

>  o  o  o  o  o  o-  «I^|p|gP|i^fP>:  o  .o  o  o,p.  q  o  >$g   S 

iiimrin-  ir^fflnrr^^^f    iHwmii     ^^  i 


«inr 


s  ©#V:Q-  '•"»'•; 

S   CJvfeS  oo  o  oooooo       , 
S  C  Q  O*O  ^  0  O  O  O  O  0  Ou  Q  Q ' 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

JOURNAL. 

At  Sea,  February  10th,  18 — . 
r  T  is  done !  It  is  consum 
mated  !  My  fortune  is 
made.  Now  farewell 
to  the  ocean,  and  fare- 
well,  a  long  farewell 
to  the  free  trade ! 

I  had  all  along  vowed, 
that  when  I  was  worth 
a  certain  amount,  I  would  abandon  my  profession,  and 
retire.  This  very  day  I  have  captured  a  French  ship ; 
and  taking  some  trunks  of  jewels  for  my  share,  I  find 
that  they  contain  diamonds  to  an  immense  amount. 
These,  even  without  reckoning  the  doubloons  I  have 
concealed  in  the  cave,  and  the  funds  in  the  hands  of 
my  agents  in  Havana  and  Matanzas,  amount  to  a  far 
greater  sum  than  that  which  I  had  fixed  as  my  maxi 
mum. 

Now  I  will  retire.     But  whitheri  My  late  'excur 
sion  in  the  country  has  completely  sickened  me  of  my 
once-loved  rural  life.   There  is  something  in  the  repose 
and  tranquillity,  the   strange,  living  stillness  of  th« 
18  M  2  137 


138  RAMON    RETIRES. 

country,  which  is  at  variance  \vith  my  feelings.  There 
seems  to  come  a  voice  out  of  those  haunts  of  undefiled 
nature,  which  speaks  reproachfully  to  me  for  having 
deserted  them  in  search  of  more  stirring  scenes. 

No !  I  must  go  where  there  will  be  men  alive  and 
active  around  me,  where  noise  and  bustle,  pomp  and 
luxury  shall  fill  up  the  void  in  my  mind.  I  must  enjoy 
every  pleasure  that  wealth  can  purchase.  I  must  live 
in  the  metropolis.  Havana,  Havana  is  my  port,  and 
to  that  queen  of  cities  I  will  go.  But  I  must  first 
repair  to  the  cavern,  and  transfer  my  property  to  the 
city,  and  contrive  some  pretext  for  leaving  my  crew. 

Havana,  March  23rf,  18 — 

Well,  as  I  am  quietly  settled  in  my  new  house,  with 
my  servants  about  me,  and  every  thing  in  comfortable 
style,  I  think  I  may  as  well  bring  up  my  journal  to  the 
present  time. 

I  got  rid  of  my  crew  by  a  plausible  story.  I  pre 
tended  to  be  very  unwell  with  the  liver  complaint,  and 
moped  about  the  cavern  for  several  days ;  and  appeared 
so  completely  "  under  the  weather,"  that  my  worthy 
comrades  became  alarmed  for  me  ;  and  advised  me  to 
go  to  Havana  for  medical  advice.  I  objected,  lest  their 
interests  might  suffer  by  my  absence.  They  insisted ; 
and  finally  I  suffered  myself  to  be  prevailed  on  to  take 
a  most  reluctant  leave  of  them,  for  a  few  months,  taking 
care  to  leave  Bernardo  in  command,  and  to  make  such 
arrangements  that  they  will  not  much  regard  my  ab 
sence.  I  told  them,  on  parting,  that  I  might  find  it 
necessary  to  remain  at  Havana  a  whole  year,  and  left 


A    METAMORPHOSIS.  139 

them,  expressing  at  the  same  time  my  heartiest  wishes 
for  their  success,  and  my  insupportable  sorrow  at  part 
ing  with  such  tried  and  excellent  friends.  May  I  never 
set  my  eyes  upon  one  of  their  scoundrel  visages  again  ! 
I  would  give  a  thousand  doubloons  to  hear  of  their 
being  blown  sky-high  by  Admiral  Porter. 

I  have  turned  honest ;  and  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  pirates  or  pickpockets  from  this  day  forth.  I  am 
a  man  of  substance  and  consequence  in  the  world.  I 
live  in  my  own  house;  keep  my  own  volante ;  have 
twenty  slaves  belonging  to  my  domestic  establishment ; 
and  entertain  the  first  company  at  my  table.  My  name, 
which  is  no  longer  Ramon,  I  shall  not  write  here,  at 
present.  But  I  will  continue  my  journal,  because  I 
take  a  fancy  to  do  so ;  and  that  is  reason  enough  for  a 
rich  man  to  render  for  any  of  his  proceedings.  My 
person  is  so  completely  metamorphosed,  that  one  of 
my  own  men  would  hardly  recognise  me.  I  used  to 
wear  immensely  large  black  whiskers,  and  long  black 
hair,  which  curled  and  clustered  all  over  my  head,  and 
floated  freely  in  the  wind,  when  I  threw  off  my  hat, 
as  was  always  my  custom,  in  the  heat  of  action.  My 
dress  at  sea,  was  that  of  a  common  sailor,  in  form; 
namely,  the  round  jacket,  and  wide  trousers ;  but  of 
the  richest  broadcloth  I  could  find.  I  wore  pistols, 
and  a  dirk  in  a  black  morocco  belt,  a  machete,  or 
sometimes  a  Turkish  sabre  at  my  side,  and  light  pumps 
on  my  feet.  My  whiskers  are  now  shaved  off  smooth ; 
my  hair  cropped  close ;  and  my  dress  conformed  to  the 
genteelest  fashion  of  the  city.  I  hardly  know  myself 
in  the  looking-glass,  when  I  am  dressing. 


MY   PASTIMES. 

With  the  multitude  I  pass  for  a  rich  foreigner,  who 
has  come  from  Europe  to  settle  in  this  country.  Those 
who  know  or  suspect  more  of  me,  are  as  much  exposed 
to  suspicion  as  myself.  However,  I  care  not  what 
any  of  the  cits  may  suspect,  so  long  as  the  best  of  them 
are  not  ashamed  to  shake  hands  with  me  on  the  Ex 
change,  or  bow  to  me  on  the  Alameda. 

I  go  to  the  theatre,  to  balls,  and  assemblies ;  I  give 
entertainments  at  my  own  house ;  and  although  there 
is  no  female  to  grace  my  table,  I  have  no  want  of 
agreeable  guests.  If  I  am  not  happy  for  the  rest  of 
my  life,  it  will  be  my  own  fault. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


JOURNAL. 

Havana,  April. 

GAVE  a  splendid  en 
tertainment  yesterday 
to  a  party  of  gentle 
men.  We  sat  down 
to  dinner  in  the  hall, 
at  six  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  A  band  of 
musicians  played  in  the  balcony,  and  the  whole  interior 
court  was  adorned  with  evergreens,  and  coloured  lamps. 
Many  merchants  were  invited,  whose  consignments 
have  passed  through  my  hands,  without  my  ever  taking 
the  trouble  to  remit  the  net  proceeds.  Some  American 
and  German  residents  were  invited,  who  praised  my 
choice  wines,  without  dreaming  that  the  Champagne 
and  Burgundy  were  bought  with  their  own  money. 

About  ten  o'clock  the  ladies  began  to  arrive.  Half 
an  hour  afterwards,  dancing,  or  rather  waltzing  com 
menced,  and  lasted  till  three  o'clock  this  morning. 
The  ladies  who  graced  this  bachelor's  ball  were  of 

14.  t, 


142  THE    YOUNG    AMERICAN. 

respectable  standing.  Some  of  them  had  noble  blood 
in  their  veins.  And  wherefore  not  ?  They  were  en 
tertained  by  one  whose  descent  is  as  good  as  their 
own.  I  am  a  Castilian — an  hidalgo — the  grandson  of 
a  nobleman  of  illustrious  name ;  and  although  I  can 
claim  none  of  these  distinctions  openly  now,  my 
wealth,  fairly  won  by  this  good  right  hand,  places  me 
amongst  the  proudest  hidalgos  of  the  island. — Having 
the  actual  possession  and  appearance  of  wealth,  I  can 
content  myself  with  the  consciousness  of  nobility. 

May  IQth.  I  have  seen  a  strange  sight,  which  dis 
turbs  me.  I  have  been  trying  these  two  hours  to  sleep. 
But  I  cannot,  and  I  have  now  seated  myself  at  my 
desk  to  record  the  cause  of  this  disquietude. 

A  gentleman  called  on  me,  this  afternoon,  and 
invited  me  to  walk  with  him.  As  we  passed  a  certain 
house,  he  said,  "  There  is  a  young  friend  of  mine  who 
is  sick  here.  Shall  we  step  in  and  see  him  ?" 

I  made  no  objection,  and  we  entered  the  invalid's 
room.  He  was  in  the  last  stage  of  consumption, 
Every  thing  about  him  indicated  that  he  had  not  many 
days  to  live.  The  fixed  colour  in  his  cheek ;  the  com 
plete  emaciation ;  the  long,  low  cough ;  the  unearthly 
brightness  of  the  eye ;  all  told  the  tale  of  blighted 
hopes,  and  predicted  the  speedy  termination  of  his 
earthly  course.  The  poor  fellow  was  literally  dying 
of  consumption. 

My  friend  spoke  to  him  of  his  friends  and  his  home ; 
for  he  is  not  native  here,  but  came  from  the  United 
States,  in  hopes  of  recovering  his  health.  He  con 
versed  cheerfully  about  his  friends ;  spoke  of  his  death 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DEATH.  H3 

as  a  thing  certain  to  take  place  in  a  few  days;  and 
gave  some  directions  about  his  funeral  and  the  dis 
position  of  his  little  property. 

I  had  seen  men  die  in  a  hundred  different  ways,  by 
disease,  by  accident,  by  violence ;  I  had  seen  them  fall 
in  the  heat  of  action ;  I  had  seen  them  murdered  in 
cold  blood.  Some  left  the  world  in  desperation,  some 
in  heroic  enthusiasm,  others  in  sullen  despair  or  par 
oxysms  of  terror ;  but  I  had  never  before  seen  a  man 
face  the  King  of  Terrors  with  steady,  calm  composure. 
In  every  instance  before,  where  I  had  seen  death 
anticipated,  it  was  always  with  a  most  violent  excite 
ment  of  the  mind.  The  hero  defied  him,  but  exerted 
all  his  energies  in  the  defiance ;  the  sullen,  despairing 
wretch  met  his  destiny  with  another  species  of  de 
fiance  ;  and  he  who  expired  in  terror  was  the  most 
fearfully  excited  of  all.  None  of  them  steadily,  and 
calmly,  and  tranquilly  awaited  the  termination  of  their 
lives.  Not  one  of  them  evinced  the  cool  courage  of 
this  young  man,  the  strength  of  whose  mind  seemed 
to  have  increased  as  that  of  his  body  was  gradually 
annihilated. 

The  phenomenon  surprised  me ;  and  I  hastily  in 
quired  of  him,  "  Young  man,  do  you  not  fear  to  die  ? 
Do  you  not  anxiously  desire  to  live  ? 

"Neither,"  replied  he,  tranquilly;  "I  have  been 
all  my  life  preparing  to  die ;  and  I  should  rather  rejoice 
that  I  am  so  soon  to  visit  that  country  which  has  long 
been  the  home  of  my  desires,  the  haven  to  which  I  am 
rapidly  borne,  after  the  short  but  stormy  passage  of 
my  life." 


144  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DEATH. 

"  But,"  inquired  I,  "  do  you  feel  confident  that  you 
shall  be  happy  hereafter?" 

"  Indeed,  I  do,"  replied  he,  smiling,  with  an  ex, 
pression  I  shall  never  forget  to  the  day  of  my  own 
death. 

"And  whence  arises  this  confidence?" 

"  From  a  variety  of  considerations.  I  will  mention 
but  one.  I  feel  in  my  own  heart  the  love  of  God  and 
of  virtue,  and  a  desire  for  the  well-being  of  all  God's 
creatures.  I  feel  an  entire  resignation  to  the  will  of 
God  in  all  things;  and  am  persuaded  that  I  could  be 
happy  in  the  society  of  those  pure  beings  that  bow  in 
the  presence  of  God,  and  have  long  since  renounced 
every  base  passion  or  unhallowed  desire.  I  feel  the 
remains  of  sin  and  imperfection  still ;  but  the  desire 
to  depart  and  dwell  among  pure  spirits  is  strong  within 
me.  I  believe  that  God  will  gratify  that  desire  which 
his  own  eternal  truth  has  created." 

He  spoke  with  the  steady  seriousness  of  full  con 
viction.  He  believed  what  he  asserted.  The  reflec 
tion,  the  horrid  thought  instantly  flashed  across  my 
mind — if  this  man  is  destined  to  go  to  heaven  because 
his  mind  is  fitted  for  that  pure  society,  whither  shall  / 
go  when  my  fatal  day  shall  come  ? 

The  thought  is  distracting.  For  what  society  have 
I  fitted  myself?  Will  not  the  very  demons  think  their 
dwelling-place  polluted  by  my  presence? 

I  hurried  home ;  shut  myself  up  in  my  room,  and 
tried  to  reason  myself  out  of  the  disturbance  into 
which  I  was  thrown.  But  I  cannot.  This  thought 
has  engendered  others.  My  mind  has  escaped  from 


REMORSE.  145 

my  own  control.  It  runs  from  horror  to  horror,  in 
spite  of  all  my  exertions. 

I  see  the  ghastly  faces  of  those  I  have  murdered. 
I  hear  their  voices,  ringing  on  the  night-gale,  and  then 
suddenly  smothered  in  the  waves.  I  hear  the  shouts 
and  curses  of  my  men ;  and  their  hellish  laughter  at 
the  terror  of  some  poor  victim,  just  about  to  perish. 

I  see  my  father  as  I  saw  him  last,  feebly  tottering 

towards  me,  and  gazing  vacantly  on  the  face  of 

O  !  am  I  not  his  murderer?  No !  no !  no  !  'twas  you, 
my  brother ;  'twas  not  I  that  broke  his  heart.  'Twas 
you  that  first  plotted  my  ruin  and  drove  me  to  despe 
ration.  You  are  the  cause  of  all  my  guilt — of  all  his 
sufferings.  And  yet  you  are  living  in  the  tranquil  en 
joyment  of  all  that  was  mine  and  his.  No,  it  cannot 
be.  You  cannot  be  tranquil,  I  know,  from  what  I  feel 
at  this  moment.  Brother,  you  cannot  be  happy. 

I  will  go  to  bed.    I  will  try  once  more  to  sleep. 

I  cannot,  I  cannot  sleep.  They  keep  coming  and 
glaring  on  me — those  fearful  spectres.  That  fair- 
haired  boy  that  clung  round  my  knees,  and  grasped 
my  arm,  as  the  dagger  came  down  upon  him — O  T  I 
see  his  beseeching  look — the  tears  coursing  down  his 
cheeks.  I  hear  the  shriek  of  his  mother,  who  was 
held  by  the  sailors  while  the  deed  was  done.  She 
could  not  save  him ;  but  she  sprang  from  the  men, 
and  threw  herself  into  the  sea  after  the  bloody  corpse 
of  her  first-born. 

I  have  tried  in  vain  to  stupify  myself  with  wine.  I 
19  N 


146 


REMORSE. 


have  swallowed  an  incredible  quantity  since  night-fall 
— but  it  is  all  in  vain.  It  only  exasperates  the  evil. 

O  !  what  a  fearful  power  is  this  of  memory !  How 
terribly  the  mind  may  be  its  own  tormentor !  Why 
have  I  never  felt  this  before  ?  How  was  it  that  I  could 
regard  the  past  with  indifference  and  levity,  and  the 
future  with  reckless  defiance?  That  power  of  self- 
command  is  gone  now.  I  am  driven  about  by  ten 
thousand  ghastly  spectres.  There?  there!  they  come 
again.  O  !  whither  shall  I  fly  ? 

The  friends  of  that  young  American  can  visit  his 
grave,  and  point  upwards  with  a  smile; — but  mine! 


o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  6  b  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  6  o  o  o:  6  6  6;  $  6  6TS 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

JOURNAL. 

'HAT  a  night!  I  would 
not  pass  such  another 
for  all  the  wealth  of 
Havana.  I  cannot 
bear  to  look  back  on 
its  horrors,  or  to  re 
cord  them. 

Why  may  not  I 
hope  for  the  consola 
tions  of  religion,  such  as  that  young  American  enjoys? 
I  will  try  to  attain  them ;  I  must  do  something.  I  can 
not  live  in  my  present  state.  The  return  of  day  has 
dispersed  some  of  those  horrid  images. — But  they  will 
return  again  at  night,  if,  in  the  mean  time,  I  do  not  find 
some  means  of  tranquillizing  my  mind.  I  will  go  to 
confession  immediately.  I  will  make  large  donations 
to  the  Holy  Church.  I  will  give  alms  to  the  poor.  I 
will  pray — O,  Heavens!  how  many  have  entreated 
mercy  from  me,  and  found  it  not!  How  many  have 
begged  for  the  poor  boon  of  life,  and  begged  in  vain ! 
Can  I  hope  for  my  prayers  to  be  heard  ?  To  which 
of  the  saints  shall  I  address  myself? 

147 


148  CONFESSION. 

I  will  go  to  some  priest  of  holy  life,  and  beg  his 
prayers  and  intercessions.  There  is  one,  Father  Am 
brose,  who  officiates  in  the  cathedral.  I  knew  the 
venerable  man  in  the  innocent  days  of  my  childhood. 
I  reverenced  him  for  his  gentle  manners  and  his  pure 
life.  To  him  I  will  impart  the  story  of  my  guilt,  and 
seek  his  aid  in  propitiating  offended  Heaven. 

Is  the  mark  of  Cain  upon  my  forehead  ?  My  ac 
quaintance  look  me  in  the  face,  bow  coldly,  and  turn 
away.  Some  shun  me  and  pass  by  on  the  other  side 
of  the  way ;  and  all  look  upon  me  with  an  apparent 
mixture  of  pity  and  horror.  Are  the  inward  emotions 
of  my  mind  written  upon  my  face  ? 

Well,  I  care  not.  I  have  worse  evils  tfrji  neglect 
to  encounter. 

I  have  been  to  the  cathedral ;  but  Father  Ambrose 
was  not  there.  I  wandered  about  that  magnificent 
temple,  and  gazed  upon  the  works  of  art,  the  sem 
blances  of  holy  men,  that  adorn  its  walls.  I  saw  other 
men  kneeling  at  the  confessional,  and  then  going  away 
with  an  aspect  of  joy  and  tranquillity.  But  I  would 
not  confess  at  that  time.  I  nave  reserved  my  confes 
sion  for  the  ear  of  Father  Ambrose,  and  no  other  shall 
receive  it. 

It  is  passing  strange.  I  marvel  that  shadows,  and 
dreams,  and  transient  reminiscences,  can  so  unman 
me.  I  have  dared  every  kind  of  peril  that  men  do 
most  earnestly  deprecate  in  this  world;  I  have  often 
looked  death  in  the  face,  and  borne  pain  and  disgrace, 
without  a  groan  or  a  sigh.  These  were  positive  evils. 


A   GUILTY    CONSCIENCE.  149 

Those  which  tear  my  bosom,  and  threaten  to  drive 
me  to  distraction  now,  are  only  possible  evils ;  conse 
quences  of  my  actions  that  may  come.  O  !  they  must 
come — they  will  come !  I  shall  dwell  forever  with 
the  impure  and  unholy,  with  malignant  spirits,  and  the 
unpardoned  souls  of  guilty  men.  These  horrible 
images  of  past  scenes  will  return  again  and  again. 
Those  dying  shrieks  and  groans,  which  I  disregarded, 
will  send  their  eternal  echoes  after  me.  These  pale, 
ghastly  faces  and  imploring  eyes  will  glare  upon  me 
with  ever-increasing  distractedness.  There !  they  are 
coming  again — in  the  very  daylight — A  vaunt ! 

0 !  how  could  I  steel  my  heart  against  the  entreaties 
of  the  living  beings,  my  fellow-men,  when  these  vain 
semblances  can  so  shake  my  frame?  What  a  strange 
mystery  is  the  mind  of  man !  I,  that  once  dared 
Heaven  and  earth,  am  now  weak,  timid,  powerless  as 
a  woman ;  more  fearful  than  the  little  child  that  peo 
ples  the  darkness  with  imaginary  goblins.  And  yet,  I 
am  the  same  man.  I  had  a  heart  of  adamant  once — 
I  feared  nothing.  I  fear  not  death  even  now.  But  I 
dread  that  unutterable  something,  which  is  to  follow. 

I  have  dreamed.  I  cannot  sleep  without  dreams : 
with  what  horrors  do  these  mighty  visions  teem ! 

I  imagined  myself  at  sea.  My  vessel  was  becalmed 
on  the  Grand  Bank  of  Bahama.  I  sat  under  a  silken 
awning,  adorned  with  flags;  a  princely  banquet  was 
spread ;  gay  cavaliers  and  high-born  damsels  partook 
of  the  feast;  music  lent  her  enchantment  to  the  scene; 


150  A    GUILTY    CONSCIENCE. 

the  laugh,  the  jest,  the  song  went  round  ;  and  to  crown 
the  whole,  and  complete  my  happiness,  my  own  Ju- 
anita  sat  by  my  side,  and  all  my  crimes  and  sorrows 
were  forgotten  ;  all  that  had  passed,  since  I  was  bless 
ed  with  her  confiding  love,  was  as  though  it  had  not 
been. 

In  the  pride  and  joy  of  my  heart,  I  rose  to  announce 
a  sentiment. — Juanita  smiled  upon  me  with  innocent 
fondness,  as  I  raised  the  sparkling  glass — when  sud 
denly  a  wild  and  savage  shriek  told  that  my  crew  had 
risen  upon  us.  Then  came  the  contest.  The  blows  fell 
thick — the  knife,  the  sword,  the  pistol  did  their  mur 
derous  work.  Shrieks,  and  curses,  and  dying  groans 
mingled  with  the  crash  of  the  demolished  tables,  till 
not  one  of  my  friends  survived.  Juanita  stood  before 
me,  and  received  a  shot  that  was  aimed  at  me. — Once 
more  I  heard  her  dying  cry. 

Then  came  all  my  guilt  upon  me  like  a  torrent. — 
The  scene  was  suddenly  changed.  I  was  in  an  open 
boat,  in  the  wide  ocean,  alone,  and  tossed  upon  the 
billows  of  a  raging  storm.  But  these  were  lesser 
horrors,  compared  with  others  that  beset  me.  Each 
mountain  wave,  as  I  rose  upon  it,  was  studded  thick 
with  faces — faces  of  human  beings  in  the  agonies  of 
death. — All  the  countenances  of  those  I  had  murdered 
were  there  in  succession,  multiplied  ten  thousand  times. 
— When  my  frail  boat  reached  the  summit  of  a  wave, 
and  I  looked  once  more  into  the  horrid  vale  that  was 
expanding  before  me,  a  new  host  of  faces  appeared, 
and  all  their  dying  eyes  were  turned  incessantly  on  me. 
Mingled  with  the  noise  of  the  roaring  winds,  their 


A    GUILTY    CONSCIENCE. 


151 


faint,  bubbling  cries  came  to  my  ears — till,  at  once, 
they  all  shrieked  aloud,  "Murderer!" 

I  waked — the  big  drops  were  rolling  down  my  fore 
head  ;  but  all  was  tranquil  and  smiling  around  me. 
The  blessed  sun  was  shining  in  through  the  cur 
tains.  Some  little  children  were  laughing,  shouting, 
and  throwing  oranges  at  each  other,  in  a  balcony  op 
posite  my  window. 

The  sight  of  the  joyous  group  brought  tears — the 
first  I  had  shed  for  half  an  age — copious  tears  into  my 
eyes.  What  would  I  not  give  to  return  to  the  state 
of  childhood  ! — What  sufferings  would  I  not  undergo, 
to  recover  the  serene  spirit  of  a  happy  boy ! 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


JOURNAL. 


HAVE  seen  Father  Ambrose.  I 
found  him  in  his  cell,  near  the 
cathedral.  I  was  struck  with  his 
appearance,  the  moment  I  en 
tered  the  apartment;  but  how 
greatly  were  my  emotions  of  awe 
and  reverence  increased  by  his 
holy  conversation ! 

It  was  in  the  evening  that  I  at  last  succeeded  in 
finding  him.  He  was  sitting  at  a  small  table,  reading. 
The  light  from  a  large  lamp,  suspended  from  the  ceil 
ing,  fell  upon  his  broad  forehead  and  strong  features, 
and  presented  the  deep  lines  of  his  face,  and  the 
massy  proportions  of  his  form,  with  fine  effect. 

He  raised  his  eyes  from  the  volume  as  I  entered, 
and  fixed  them  on  me  steadily,  without  speaking  a 
word.  There  was  something  in  that  look  which  made 
my  soul  shrink  within  me;  and- 1  almost  wished  that 
I  had  sought  some  other  spiritual  instructor.  To  have 
a  pair  of  penetrating  black  eyes  peering  full  upon 


FATHER    AMBROSE.  153 

you,  from  beneath  a  prominent  forehead  and  singularly 
heavy  eyebrows,  is  sufficiently  trying,  even  for  an  in 
nocent  man,  in  the  presence  of  an  ordinary  stranger. 
But  to  reflect  at  the  same  moment  that  you  are  a 
criminal,  a  sinner  of  the  deepest  dye,  in  the  presence 
of  him  who  first  taught  you  the  will  of  God,  and  affec 
tionately  cautioned  you  against  the  snares  and  tempta 
tions  of  the  world, — to  remember  a  thousand  in 
stances  of  good-will  and  kind  interest,  of  confessions 
and  promises  of  amendment,  and  a  thousand  crimes,  the 
least  of  which  were  sufficient  to  forfeit  the  esteem  of 
all  good  men — this  is  a  trial  which  few  could  endure, 
and  which,  fortunately,  few  can  ever  know. 

I  stood  before  the  padre  with  my  eyes  cast  down, 
and  my  soul  humbled. 

"My  son,"  said  he,  "I  am  glad  you  are  come.  I 
had  almost  given  you  up." 

"Is  it  possible,"  replied  I,  "that  you  recognise  me, 
after  so  long  a  time?" 

"  I  have  never  lost  sight  of  you.  I  know  all  your 
movements,  all  your  errors  and  crimes.  My  position 
here  makes  me  the  depositary  of  much  more  important 
secrets  than  yours." 

"  Believe  me,  father,  without  any  suspicion  of  the 
extent  of  your  information  respecting  me,  or  any  ex 
pectation  that  you  would  recognise  me,  without  a  dis 
closure  of  my  name,  I  came  here  to  confess,  and  receive 
your  spiritual  advice  and  absolution.  I  have  brought  a 
small  offering  for  the  Holy  Church,"  I  continued, 
laying  a  heavy  rouleau  of  doubloons  upon  the  table, 
20 


154  RELIGIOUS    INSTRUCTIONS. 

"and  I  propose  to  devote  something  for  charitable 
purposes." 

"There  is  blood  upon  that  gold!"  said  the  padre, 
"  Dare  you  think  to  bargain  with  the  eternal  God  for 
your  salvation,  and  to  pay  for  it  with  the  profits  of 
your  infernal  trade  J  Deluded  man !  Repent !  Change 
your  evil  mind!  Turn  from  your  ungodly  life,  and 
become  a  new  creature." 

"  Hear,  holy  father,  hear  my  confession.  Listen  to 
the  horrors  of  conscience  with  which  I  am  tormented, 
and  tell  me  then  what  I  must  do  to  escape  from  them." 

His  severe  look  was  somewhat  softened  at  this  ap 
peal.  He  listened  attentively  while  I  knelt  and  poured 
forth  the  crimes  and  agonies  of  my  soul,  and  then 
bade  me  rise  and  listen  in  my  turn. 

He  spoke  of  the  pure  nature  of  God,  his  unalter 
able  benevolence,  and  his  infinite  wisdom  and  power. 
He  then  discoursed  on  the  condition  of  man,  and  his 
relations  to  the  Supreme  Being. 

"  We  are  placed  here,"  he  said,  "  for  trial.  The 
experiment  of  life  is  committed  to  our  hands.  Wo 
ourselves  make  our  own  happiness  or  misery.  We  pre 
pare  ourselves  for  our  future  abode.  We  train  our 
selves  up  for  heaven,  or  fit  our  minds  for  the  dwelling 
of  the  unholy.  The  relation  between  virtue  and  hap 
piness,  and  between  vice  and  misery,  is  the  irnmutabk 
relation  of  cause  and  effect.  It  cannot  be  altered. 
We  cannot  purchase  happiness  with  gold,  given  to  the 
Holy  Church,  or  with  alms,  or  with  penances.  Hap 
piness  is  the  natural  state  of  a  well-regulated  mind. 
We  cannot  even  escape  misery  but  by  divorcing  our- 


RELIGIOUS    INSTRUCTIONS.  155 

selves  from  vice.  Not  all  the  treasures  of  this  mighty 
metropolis,  my  son,  can  procure  you  an  hour's  respite 
from  the  tortures  of  your  guilty  conscience." 

"  I  feel  it !  I  feel  it!"  interrupted  I. 

"  Is  your  mind  in  a  fit  state,"  he  inquired,  "  to  enjoy 
the  society  of  the  saints,  if,  by  an  exertion  of  Omnipo 
tent  Power,  you  should  this  moment  be  conveyed  to 
their  blessed  abodes?" 

"  Alas,  father,  I  fear  it  is  not" 

"  Then  your  first  duty  is  to  repent;  to  turn  from 
your  sinful  ways ;  to  pray  to  God  for  forgiveness  of 
your  sins,  and  strive  to  banish  every  evil  thought  and 
wish  from  your  mind." 

"  Before  I  retire " 

"  I  know  what  you  would  say.  You  fear  that  I  may 
denounce  you  to  the  civil  authority.  But  fear  not  that. 
I  never  use  the  secrets  of  the  confessional  for  the  pur 
poses  of  government.  Besides,  if  it  please  Heaven 
to  allow  you  a  space  for  repentance,  it  is  not  my  office 
to  hinder  its  designs.  Go,  and  trust  to  my  discretion 
on  that  point." 

Such  was  my  interview  with  the  padre.  I  feel  that 
what  he  said  is  true.  Yet  it  is,  I  must  say,  very  un 
satisfactory  truth.  1  expected  that  he  would  have 
gladly  accepted  my  offerings,  praised  my  good  inten 
tions,  ordered  a  long  routine  of  penances,  and  explained 
to  my  satisfaction  how  all  these  things  were  to  benefit 
me.  How  widely  different  was  his  conduct  from  that 
of  many  other  priests !  And  yet  there  is  something 
about  Father  Ambrose  which  convinces  me  that  he  is 
really  a  good  and  virtuous  man,  and  a  safe  adviser. 


156  PERPLEXITY. 

Besides,  what  he  says  is  reasonable  and  natural.  If  I 
would  escape  future  misery,  I  must  become  penitent. 
If  I  would  inherit  salvation,  I  must  become  capable  of 
pure  and  exalted  enjoyment,  fit  for  the  society  of  the 
holy. 

How  great,  how  immense  is  the  work  which  this  re 
quisition  imposes !  If  he  had  required  me  to  macerate 
my  body  by  abstinence,  or  tear  my  flesh  with  scourges, 
or  wear  a  cross  of  iron  next  my  heart,  it  would  have 
been  a  light  task,  compared  with  this.  How  can  I 
change  my  mind  ?  How  can  I  learn  to  love  virtue  ? 
I,  who  have  for  years  delighted,  revelled  in  every  un 
holy  work?  As  well  might  the  poor  black  Mandingo, 
who  is  waiting  at  the  back  of  my  chair,  attempt  to 
change  the  hue  with  which  nature  has  dyed  his  skin. 
I  know  not  how  to  begin,  or  to  what  point  to  direct 
my  endeavours.  If,  before,  all  was  terror  and  de 
spair,  now  all  is  doubt  and  perplexity. 

The  shadows — the  horrible  phantoms  have  disap 
peared.  But  busy,  torturing,  perplexing  thoughts 
have  arisen.  The  keen  flashes  of  truth  which  have 
darted  in  upon  the  chaos  of  my  mind,  are  momentary, 
but  to  a  certain  extent  effective.  They  reveal  the  re 
lation  of  a  guilty  past  to  a  terrible  future.  A  way  of 
escape  there  must  be ;  but  as  yet  I  see  it  not  clearly. 
It  is  not  enough  to  tell  me  that  I  must  become  vir 
tuous.  How  can  I  ?  Where  am  I  to  begin  ?  What 
is  the  first  step  ? 

"Change  my  evil  mind!"  Eradicate  inveterate 
habits  of  thought,  feeling,  and  passion !  I  am  not  able 
to  do  it ;  at  least,  not  now ;  for  I  know  not  how  to  be- 


PERPLEXITY. 


157 


gin.  No  bodily  act  will  do  it.  If  tearing  my  flesh, 
or  cutting  oft*  my  right  hand  would  restore  me  to  inno 
cence,  or  make  me  virtuous,  how  gladly  would  I  do 
it!  If  giving  my  body  to  be  burned  at  the  stake  would 
expiate  my  sins,  how  cheerfully  would  I  make  the 
offering!  But  I  know  that  such  acts  would  avail  me 
nothing,  since  they  could  not  change  my  mind.  The 
mind,  the  mind  is  diseased. — Where  is  the  physician 
who  can  heal  it? 


O 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


JOURNAL. 

HAVE  seen  Father  Ambrose  again, 
and  listened  to  the  doctrine  of 
salvation  by  Jesus  Christ,  the 
teacher  sent  from  God,  who  saves 
men  from  misery  by  turning  them 
from  sin. 

The  padre  repeated  many  of 
the  instructions  of  this  great 
Teacher,  as  they  were  delivered 
by  him  when  he  was  on  earth.  As  he  delivered  these 
passages  of  Holy  Writ,  I  remembered  that  he  had  taught 
me  to  repeat  them  myself  when  I  was  a  child ;  but 
time  and  evil  habits  had  in  a  great  measure  obliterated 
the  early  lessons  of  the  holy  man.  Would  to  God  I 
had  remembered  and  made  them  the  guide  of  my  life  ! 
I  should  not  now  be  the  wretch  that  I  am. 

I  inquired  what  I  must  first  do ;  what  was  the  first 
step  in  the  work  of  reformation  ? 

"  You  must  not  expect,"  he  replied,  "  to  perform 
some  signal  act,  and  immediately  feel  its  beneficial 
effects  on  your  mind ;  nor  is  there  any  one  Christian 


FATHER  AMBROSE'S  ADVICE.  159 

duty,  by  the  constant  performance  of  which  you  may 
expect  to  change  your  mind.  It  would  be  in  vain  for 
me  to  recommend  that  you  should  pray  from  morning 
till  night,  or  meditate  constantly,  or  perform  acts  of 
beneficence  continually.  The  whole  of  Christian  duty 
is  imperative  upon  you  and  every  man.  I  must  there 
fore  direct  you  to  repent,  pray,  meditate,  and  give 
alms;  to  believe  in  the  divine  revelations  of  Christ, 
and  act  constantly  worthy  of  a  firm  belief  in  them; 
to  love  God  and  to  love  your  neighbour  as  yourself; 
to  deny  your  unworthy  desires,  and  banish  evil 
thoughts;  and  to  do  these  things  constantly  and  per- 
severingly,  even  though  your  present  distress  continue, 
and  you  do  not  find  yourself  relieved  from  fearful 
forebodings  and  agonizing  recollections.  Your  days 
of  sin  were  many ;  your  evil  habits  must  necessarily 
be  strong :  I  should  be  unfaithful  to  you  and  to  my 
sacred  office,  were  I  to  conceal  from  you  that  the  work 
of  reformation  which  you  propose  to  yourself  is  no 
trifling  task.  It  will  require  all  your  resolution — all 
the  energy  you  can  command.  Pray  to  God  for  his 
assistance,  and  be  not  discouraged  if  an  answer  to  your 
prayers  should  seem  to  be  delayed.  You  cannot  ex 
pect  to  change  your  character  by  a  single  act,  or  a 
short  season  of  exertion.  You  did  not  become  what 
you  are  in  a  moment.  You  may  not  hope  to  become 
a  virtuous  man  in  less  time,  or  with  less  exertion  than 
it  required  to  make  you  a  vicious  one.  You  have  ex 
erted  all  your  powers  in  the  cause  of  sin.  Learn  to 
exert  them  in  the  cause  of  virtue.  The  very  nature 
of  the  vwk  must  convince  you  that  it  is  necessarily 


160  FATHER  AMBROSE'S  ADVICE. 

arduous.  But  you  have  strength  of  character,  and 
therefore  I  do  not  despair  of  your  success.  Even  if 
it  were  not  so,  still  God  is  merciful,  and  I  never  de 
spair  of  his  mercy.  Retire,  my  son ;  meditate  on  what 
I  have  said,  and  pray  for  God's  grace."* 

His  words  are  indelibly  engraved  on  my  memory. 
I  will  meditate  on  them,  and  try  to  practise  the  lesson 
they  teach. 

*  Padre  Ambrosio  seems  to  have  been  a  rare  specimen  of  a  Romish 
Priest.— 2V. 


i  .V-. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


JOURNAL. 


HAVE  been  considering  what 
was  my  duty  in  relation  to 
this  journal  of  my  life  ;  be 
gun  in  a  moment  of  levity, 
though  of  bodily  pain,  and 
persevered  in,  for  a  long 
time,  merely  as  an  amuse 
ment;  but,  latterly,  as  a  re 
lief  from  intense  mental  suffering. 

How  shall  I  dispose  of  this  strange  record  ?  I  have 
several  times  been  on  the  point  of  destroying  it.  Not 
that  I  feared  the  effect  which  its  evidence  might  have 
on  my  fate,  in  ease  of  my  arrest.  I  care  little  for  the 
continuance  of  life,  and  have  even  thought  of  deliver 
ing  myself  up  to  the  government,  to  expiate  in  some 
measure  my  crimes.  But  I  have  thought  that  this 
manuscript  ought  to  be  destroyed,  lest  the  success  I 
have  met  with,  and  recorded  here,  might  tempt  others, 
who  should  read  it,  to  follow  in  my  footsteps.  But  if 
they  read  the  whole,  they  will  not. 

If  they  read  what  I  now  set  down,  they  will  not 

dare  to  tempt  the  fate  which  awaits  crimes  like  mine. 

21  o2 


162  REMORSE. 

No  !  even  though  they  may  hear  that  I  lived  many 
years  in  outward  peace,  and  died  in  apparent  tranquil 
lity. 

Know,  ye  that  would  pry  into  the  recesses  of  the 
guilty  mind,  that  misery  is  wedded  to  guilt ;  that  all 
the  treasures  I  have  ever  plundered  from  the  inoffensive 
merchant  and  the  hardy  sailor,  would  not  compensate 
for  one  hour  of  suffering,  such  as  I  daily  undergo. 

I  toil  and  toil  to  subdue  the  tormenting  power  of 
conscience.     I  apply  the  arguments  of  reason  and  the 
hopes  of  religion,  hitherto  almost  in  vain.     I  believe 
that  the  power  of  God  is  adequate  to  restore  peace 
even  to  me,  and  with  trembling  and  prayer  I  hope  for 
it.     But  the  sense  of  guilt,  the  recollection,  the  shud 
dering,  appalling  recollection,  of  past  scenes,  exerts  a 
tremendous   power  over  me.     I  writhe,   I   groan  in 
agony — in  agony  which  seems  to  increase  in  proportion 
as  I  learn  more  of  the  true  character  of  God,  and  the 
true  nature  of  my  own  guilt.     Even  in  my  calmest 
moments,  when  listening  to  the  heavenly  conversation 
of  Father  Ambrose,  or  attempting  to  appropriate  to 
myself  the  comfortable  promises  addressed  to  the  peni 
tent,  my  bosom  is  torn  with  sorrow,  and  I  wish  that 
I  had  never  been  born.     But,  in  the  silent  watches  of 
the  night,  when  sleep  comes  upon  me,  when  reason 
relinquishes  her  seat,  and  gives  up  the  reins  to  imagina 
tion — then,  then  the  thick-coming  horrors  crowd  upon 
me.    What  distress,  what  agony  do  I  not  suffer  in  my 
dreams !    Those  bloody  scenes,  in  which  I  have  borne 
a  part,  are  acted  over  and  over  again  before  my  eyes, 
with  new  and  ever-changing  circumstances  of  horror. 

* 


REMORSE.  163 

I  behold  them,  I  act  in  them,  not  with  the  coolness 
and  hardihood  which  characterized  me,  when  I  ac 
tually  engaged  in  such  scenes ;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
with  the  keenest  sensibility,  the  most  excruciating 
sympathy  in  all  that  is  suffered.  I  fly  about  the  deck, 
and  try  to  restrain  my  men  from  cruelty.  I  see  every 
blow  that  is  struck,  and  my  flesh  creeps  with  horror. 
I  hear  the  cries  of  the  dying,  and  my  soul  is  pierced 
with  their  sufferings :  all  the  accumulated  misery  of 
the  scene  falls  on  me.  I  feel  that  I  make  it  all ;  that 
the  guilt  rests  with  me.  Through  all  the  bustle  and 
noise  of  the  action,  a  sense  of  tremendous  oppression 
weighs  upon  me ;  a  sword  of  vengeance  flashes  before  my 
eyes ;  a  cry  of  "  Blood  for  blood  !"  rings  in  my  ears ; 
I  fight  without  the  exultation  of  heroism ;  I  conquer 
without  the  joy  of  conquest ;  I  kill  as  if  my  arm  was 
guided  by  fate,  and  feel,  to  my  inmost  soul,  even  when 
striking  the  decisive  blow,  that  the  murdered  is  less  an 
object  of  pity  than  the  murderer.  Strange  as  it  may 
seem,  though  in  these  dreams  I  try  to  restrain  my  men 
from  acts  of  cruelty,  yet,  as  if  by  some  irresistible  in 
ward  force,  I  perform  them  myself.  I  stab,  and  instant 
ly  sympathize  with  the  pain  of  the  wound,  and  feel 
remorse  at  the  cruelty  of  the  act.  I  feel  the  anguish 
of  the  parting  soul,  and  the  guilt  of  the  assassin  who 
tore  it  from  its  tenement. 

Would  all  the  treasures  of  India — would  all  the  de 
lights  of  years  of  voluptuousness  tempt  a  man  to  suffer 
one  such  night  as  this?  And  yet  this  is  not  the  thou 
sandth  part  of  what  I  endure,  every  night  that  I  live. 

Then,  again,  as  I  walk  about  the  city,  there  are  a 


164  REMORSE. 

thousand  things  that  call  up  associations  of  guilt,  and 
make  me  start  and  shudder  as  if  a  serpent  had  crossed 
my  path.  A  weapon,  a  flag,  a  peculiar  dress,  a  voice 
— these  and  a  thousand  such  trifles  kindle  the  flames 
within,  that  torture  my  mind  and  wither  my  energies. 

The  wealth  and  external  ease  which  I  have  pur 
chased  at  so  dear  a  rate,  and  to  which  I  looked  for 
ward  as  the  certain  means  of  happiness,  have  procured 
me  such  pleasure  as  if  the  gold  were  all  melted  and 
poured  down  my  throat.  I  had  scarcely  completed 
my  preparations  for  enjoyment,  when  conscience 
waked,  and  the  gay  ministers  of  pleasure  and  the  bright 
visions  of  joy  fled  in  dismay.  No  one  comes  to  my 
house  now.  The  very  sight  of  my  countenance  seems 
to  make  men  think  of  their  own  crimes  and  unrepented 
errors ;  and  they  shun  me  as  they  would  an  image  of 
death.  My  very  slaves  are  frequently  petitioning  for 
permission  to  seek  another  master  ;*  and  those  that 
remain  seem  to  serve  me  from  motives  of  compassion. 

Let  no  man  think  to  purchase  ease  and  tranquillity 
with  the  wages  of  crime.  It  cannot  be.  The  wicked 
man's  wealth  cannot  purchase  pure  enjoyment.  The 
hand  of  God  has  infused  bitterness  into  his  cup  of  joy. 
A  curse,  a  burning  curse  is  upon  his  basket  and  his 
store;  he  walks  upon  a  blood-stained  ground,  beneath 
a  frowning  heaven ;  and  the  very  features  of  nature's 
face,  which  smile  eternally  upon  the  innocent,  look  re 
proach  and  malediction  upon  him :  the  brooks,  the 
birds,  the  stirring  leaves,  that  have  a  voice  of  gladness 

*  This  the  Spanish  law  allows.    Any  slave  may  quit  his  master,  wherf 
he  can  find  a  purchaser,  at  a  price  which  the  laws  ascertain. — Tr. 


PRESENTIMENTS.  166 

for  the  good  man,  speak  in  thunders  to  the  man  of 
blood  and  violence.  They  accuse  him  of  marring  the 
fair  face  of  creation,  and  awakening  the  voice  of  wail 
ing  and  sorrow. 

I  feel  that  I  cannot  live  long,  although  there  is  no 
apparent  diminution  of  my  bodily  strength.  I  have 
a  presentiment  that  I  shall  soon  die.  To  make  resti 
tution  of  what  I  possess  by  violence  and  wrong,  is  im 
possible.  But  I  will  abide  by  the  advice  of  Father 
Ambrose,  in  the  disposition  of  this  wealth.  It  can  be 
applied  to  purposes  of  benevolence  when  I  am  gone. 

I  will  also  leave  with  him  this  journal.  Twice  I 
have  carried  it  to  him,  when  I  have  gone  to  confession, 
with  the  intention  of  leaving  it  for  him  to  peruse,  and 
return  to  me  to  be  completed ;  but,  on  both  these  occa 
sions,  the  perturbation  of  my  mind  has  occasioned  me 
entirely  to  forget  it.  I  will  put  it  in  my  bosom,  .and 
go  to  him  again. 


NOTE  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR. 


MERE  the  manuscript  of  Don 
Ramon  ends.  Probably 
the  last  sentence  was 
written  the  very  day  it 
fell  into  my  hands.  The 
disturbance  of  mind  which 
he  underwent  as  he  left 
the  cathedral,  must  have 
been  severe,  if  I  may  judge  from  his  appearance — his 
distracted  air  and  disordered  step.  This,  no  doubt, 
occasioned  him  to  forget  his  purpose  of  delivering  his 
manuscript  to  the  priest ;  and  prevented  his  observing 
that  it  had  fallen  on  the  ground,  when  he  was  passing 
near  me.  The  reader  has  been  already  informed  of  my 
departure  from  Havana,  the  morning  after  I  became 
possessed  of  the  manuscript.  Bus  ness  brought  me  to 
that  city  again  a  few  months  afterwards ;  and  it  will 
readily  be  supposed  that  I  was  not  remiss  in  my  en 
deavours  to  learn  what  had  been  the  fate  of  the  pirate. 

166 


NOTE    BY    THE    TRANSLATOR.  167 

1  was  somewhat  puzzled  to  know  in  what  manner 
it  would  be  expedient  for  me  to  conduct  my  inquiries. 
It  would  be  imprudent  to  communicate  the  knowledge 
I  had  acquired  ;  or  even  to  ask  for  him,  calling  him  by 
name,  or  describing  him  by  circumstances.  It  would 
be  no  compliment  to  any  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance 
to  suppose  that  Ramon  the  Rover  was  one  of  his 
friends,  as  an  inquiry  after  his  health  or  prosperity 
might  seem  to  imply.  I  knew  not  the  name  which  he 
had  assumed  while  living  in  the  city,  and  therefore 
could  not  inquire  what  had  become  of  Signior  Don 
Such-a-one.  All  that  remained  for  me,  therefore,  was 
to  frequent  public  places,  to  stroll  into  the  cathedral 
occasionally,  and  to  observe  if  any  of  the  persons 
mentioned  in  the  passing  gossip  of  the  day  might 
answer  in  character  or  circumstances  to  the  object  of 
my  pursuit. 

For  a  long  time  I  could  learn  nothing  concerning 
him.  I  perused  thousands  of  faces  in  search  of  his 
striking  lineaments,  but  could  not  find  them ;  I  listened 
to  many  a  tale  of  family  quarrels  and  alliances,  but 
heard  no  history  which  could  be  supposed  to  belong 
to  the  mysterious  pirate.  I  began  to  think  that  he 
must  have  gone  distracted  with  horror  of  conscience, 
as  many  others  had  done ;  and  I  actually  went  to  the 
insane  hospital,  with  an  expectation  of  recognising  him 
among  the  wretched  inmates  of  that  house  of  wo.  But 
he  was  not  there.  I  then  gave  him  up  for  dead ;  and 
determined  to  think  no  more  about  the  matter. 

But  he  was  not  dead. 

One  day  a  Spanish  friend  of  mine  invited  me  to 


168  NOTE    BY    THE    TRANSLATOR. 

accompany  him  in  a  rural  excursion,  on  horseback. 
We  were  to  ride  a  few  leagues  into  the  country,  and 
attend  a  christening  of  one  of  his  brother's  children. 

These  christenings  are  grand  occasions  among  the 
Spaniards,  and  are  usually  celebrated  with  extraordi 
nary  circumstances  of  joy  and  festivity.  On  the  present 
occasion  there  was  to  be  a  dinner  for  a  few  select 
friends,  and  a  ball  and  supper  for  all  the  neighbouring 
gentry. 

We  set  out  from  the  city,  about  day-break,  in 
company  with  half  a  dozen  gentlemen,  besides  my 
friend,  and  a  retinue  of  servants  and  sumpter  mules. 
We  rode  armed  as  is  the  custom  of  the  country ;  and 
our  cavalcade  made  quite  an  imposing  show,  as  it 
wound  along  the  rough  roads,  at  a  quick  canter,  each 
horseman  raising  his  separate  cloud  of  red  dust. 

At  noon  we  arrived  at  the  estate  where  the  christening 
was  to  take  place.  We  were  most  cordially  received, 
and  after  being  conducted  to  separate  apartments  and 
allowed  sufficient  time  to  change  our  dusty  dresses, 
were  summoned  into  the  great  hall  to  witness  the  cere 
mony.  Here  were  a  few  ladies  and  gentlemen,  friends 
and  relatives  of  the  family,  and  the  priest  and  sacristan 
in  their  canonical  dresses. 

The  christening  was  any  thing  but  a  solemnity. 
While  the  priest  was  mumbling  over  a  Latin  formu 
lary,  book  in  hand,  and  applying  salt  and  oil  and  water 
to  different  parts  of  the  child's  body,  some  of  the 
ladies  were  laughing  and  nodding  to  each  other;  and 
a  gentleman  was  sniping  his  fingers  and  chirruping 
to  keep  the  urchin  in  good  humour,  while  the  rest  of 


NOTE    BY   THE   TRANSLATOR.  169 

the  surrounding  group,  were  smiling,  yawning,  ogling 
each  other  or  looking  out  of  the  window,  according  to 
their  several  dispositions. 

After  the  ceremony  was  over,  we  sat  down  to  a 
sumptuous  dinner,  where  wit  and  lively  humour  were 
the  order  of  the  day ;  and  songs,  and  toasts,  and  com 
pliments  went  round,  till  the  reeking  coffee  cups  and 
that  truly  Spanish  luxury,  the  cigar,  closed  that  part 
of  the  entertainment. 

Then  came  the  pleasant  twilight  stroll  about  the  bal 
conies  and  garden,  till  nightfall,  when  the  brilliant 
lights,  and  tuning  viols,  with  the  frequent  arrivals  of 
fresh  volantes  and  other  equipages,  gave  notice  that  the 
dancing  party  were  beginning  to  assemble. 

I  retired  to  my  room  till  the  revels  should  be  fairly 
begun. 

When  I  again  entered  the  great  hall,  I  found  a  most 
brilliant  assemblage.  Not  only  the  families  of  the 
neighbouring  planters;  but  a  large  number  of  military 
and  naval  officers  and  ladies  from  Havana  were  there. 
The  waltzing  was  already  begun,  and  a  tall  stately 
Count  was  leading  off,  with  a  laughing  little  country 
sylph  for  his  partner.  Next  after  them  was  one  of 
Admiral  Laborde's  officers,  with  the  elegant  Senorita 
Fannia  J*****.  Then  came  an  officer  of  the  Am 
erican  navy,  with  a  Spanish  lady  of  a  remarkably  com 
manding  figure  and  beautiful  countenance.  My  eyes 
followed  her  as  she  circled  round  the  room  in  the 
waltz,  and  I  scarcely  noticed  those  who  came  after  her. 
There  was  a  fascination  about  her — her  beauty  was  of 
that  intellectual  cast  which  is  so  superior  to  the  mere 
22  P 


170  NOTE    BY    THE    TRANSLATOR. 

physical  attractions  of  regular  features  and  exquisite 
colour.  There  was  soul  in  her  slightest  movements 
— eloquence  in  every  glance  of  her  eye. 

As  she  passed  near  the  place  where  I  was  standing, 
I  observed  that  she  bowed  and  coloured  slightly. 
Her  bow  was  returned  by  a  person  standing  directly 
by  my  side,  whom  I  had  not  before  noticed.  I  turned 
to  look  at  him.  It  was  Ramon. 

He  was  much  altered.  He  was  thin  and  pale.  His 
fixed,  determined  look,  was  exchanged  for  an  air  of 
sadness,  and  thoughtfulness.  His  dress  was  a  rich 
and  splendid  suit  of  mourning. 

The  lady  to  whom  he  had  bowed,  soon  went  to  a 
seat ;  and  in  a  few  moments  he  was  at  her  side,  speak 
ing  to  her  with  an  expression  of  interest  that  could 
not  be  mistaken,  and  welcomed  by  her  with  a  smile 
that  spoke  volumes.  I  was  astonished.  In  what  char 
acter,  thought  I,  can  this  singular  being  have  come 
hither,  and  how  has  he  acquired  the  favour  of  that  in 
teresting  lady  ? 

I  sought  for  my  city  acquaintance,  and  soon  found 
him  among  a  group  of  lookers  on  like  myself. 

"  Who,"  I  inquired,  "  is  the  gentleman  in  the  recess 
yonder,  conversing  with  the  lady  in  black?" 

"  That  is  Don  Julio  H  *****  *." 

"  Well,  I  supposed  it  was  Don  something.  But 
what  is  he;  and  where  does  he  reside?" 

"  O,  he  is  a  Castilian,  I  believe,  and  he  lives  on 
O'Reilly  street,  in  the  city.  Don't  you  remember  a 
large  white  house,  with  iron  window  bars,  in  the  shape 
of  arrows,  tipt  with  gilt." 


NOTE    BY    THE    TRANSLATOR.  171 

<<  Very  well.  But  what  is  the  man's  character  and 
standing." 

"  I  believe  he  is  an  odd,  whimsical,  rich  fellow, 
gives  splendid  entertainments  one  month,  and  gets  the 
gout  or  the  blue  devils,  or  something  of  that  sort,  and 
shuts  himself  up,  or  cuts  his  acquaintance  in  the  street, 
for  three  months  afterwards.  For  my  part,  I  could 
never  exactly  make  him  out ;  and  the  only  thing  that 
I  know  with  certainty  about  him  is,  that  he  keeps 
excellent  champagne." 

"  He  seems  to  be  quite  attentive  to  the  lady." 

"  O  yes,  that  is  an  engagement.  They  are  soon  to 
be  married." 

"Who  is  she?" 

"  She  is  an  orphan,  of  high  family  but  pennyless. 
She  probably  has  an  eye  to  Don  Julio's  doubloons — 
but  here  is  Gasper  D****,  who  can  tell  you  all  about 
it" 

The  person  to  whom  I  was  referred  was  a  regular 
retailer  of  small  scandal,  and  was  called  in  Havana, 
the  walking  newspaper.  Glad  of  a  hearer,  he  took 
me  by  the  arm,  and  forcing  a  passage  through  the 
crowd,  passed  out  of  the  hall,  and  found  his  way  to  a 
retired  part  of  the  balcony ;  and  lighting  his  cigar  and 
throwing  himself  upon  a  settee,  he  began. 

*'  You  must  know,"  said  he,  "  that  this  Don  Julio 
is  none  of  your  everyday  characters.  He  was  a  per 
son  of  figure  and  consequence  in  Madrid,  and  brought 
letters  from  a  grandee  of  Spain  to  some  of  the  first 
people  in  Havana.  He  is  rich,  and  designs  to  purchase 
real  estate  and  settle  in  this  country.  But  then  he  if 


112       /  NOTE   BY   THE   TRANSLATOR. 

the  oddest  fellow  in  the  world.  When  he  first  arrived 
from  Spain,  he  gave  the  most  splendid  dinners  and 
balls  of  any  gentleman  in  the  city.  Then  all  of  a 
sudden,  from  keeping  open  house  and  being  the  life 
and  soul  of  society,  he  shut  himself  up  for  whole  days 
together,  and  when  he  was  seen  stealing  into  a  church, 
or  walking  on  the  Alameda,  he  looked  as  if  he  had 
lost  every  friend  on  earth. 

One  evening,  in  returning  from  one  of  his  solitary 
walks,  he  rescued  the  lady,  whom  you  saw  him  con 
versing  with,  from  an  attack  of  assassins,  as  she  was 
riding  home  from  the  Alameda,  with  no  attendant  but 
the  calasero.*  The  next  day  he  called  to  inquire  for 
her  health,  and  the  day  after  to  know  if  she  was  per 
fectly  recovered  from  her  agitation;  and  so  on,  till  at 
last,  in  return  for  saving  her  life,  she  almost  cured  him 
of  his  low  spirits,  and  is  about  to  give  him  her  hand. 
One  good  turn,  you  know,  deserves  another." 

"Can  any  one,"  I  inquired,  "  divine  the  cause  of  his 
low  spirits?" 

"  Something  of  religious  melancholy,  I  suppose,  for 
he  used  to  visit  Father  Ambrose  every  day.  I  dare 
say  he  could  tell.  But  these  priests,  you  know  are — 
mum — No  questions  to  be  asked  in  that  quarter." 

"  Has  he  no  relations  in  this  country?" 
-  "  Nftne  that  I  ever  heard  of." 

Satisfied  with  this  account  of  Ramon,  in  which  his 
success  in  sustaining  an  assumed  character  was  pretty 
apparent,  I  returned  to  the  ball-room  to  observe  him 
more  leisurely  than  I  had  done  before.  He  was  still 

*The  driver  of  the  volante  who  sits  astride  of  the  horse. 


NOTE    BY   THE    TRANSLATOR.  173 

engaged  in  conversation  with  the  lady ;  but  soon  after 
I  entered,  he  was  interrupted  by  a  gentleman  inviting 
her  to  dance.  She  gave  him  her  hand,  and,  nodding 
graciously  to  Ramon,  advanced  with  her  partner,  and 
was  soon  gliding  gracefully  through  the  mazes  of  a 
Spanish  contra  dance — of  all  dances  the  most  admira 
ble  for  striking  attitudes,  and  chastely  beautiful  move 
ments. 

Ramon  rose  from  his  seat  and  gazed  at  her,  apparent 
ly  with  the  deepest  interest,  following  her  through  all 
the  intricacies  of  the  figure,  without  seeming  to  be 
conscious  that  there  was  any  other  attractive  object  in 
the  room,  or  any  one  observing  his  singular  devotion. 
Suddenly  his  features  contracted,  as  if  a  painful  recol 
lection  had  shot  through  his  brain ;  and  he  turned  away 
towards  the  window.  A  few  moments  after,  he  left 
the  hall,  and  I  soon  saw,  from  the  window,  a  horseman 
dashing  down  the  moonlit  avenue  at  full  speed,  follow 
ed  by  a  single  servant,  who,  with  whip  and  spur,  was 
vainly  endeavouring  to  urge  a  restive  mule  into  a  pace 
which  would  enable  him  to  keep  within  sight  of  his 
master. 

"  He  must  be  a  wayward  kind  of  suitor,"  thought  I. 

The  lady  did  not  betray  any  feeling  at  his  departure ; 
and  when  the  ball  was  finished,  she  departed  with  her 
relations. 

A  week  after  this  incident,  as  I  was  sitting  one  morn 
ing  in  my  room,  in  Havana,  the  same  friend  who  had 
invited  me  to  attend  the  christening,  entered. 


174  NOTE    BY    THE    TRANSLATOR. 

"Did  you  ever  see  a  Spanish  wedding?"  he  en 
quired. 

"Never,"  replied  I. 

"  Should  you  like  to  witness  one?" 

"  Of  all  things  in  the  world." 

"  Then  come  along  with  me  to  the  cathedral.  That 
strange  mortal,  Don  Julio,  whom  you  saw  at  the  chris 
tening,  is  to  be  married  this  morning.  He  likes  to  do 
a  handsome  thing  himself;  and  the  lady's  connections 
are  among  the  proudest  families  in  the  city.  I  think 
we  shall  see  something  of  a  dash  on  the  occasion." 

The  reader  will  believe  that  I  was  not  slow  in  com 
plying  with  my  friend's  request.  I  took  his  arm,  and 
we  soon  found  ourselves  in  the  Cathedral  Square.  It 
was  crowded  with  coaches  and  volantes:  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  richly  dressed,  were  passing  from  the  car 
riages  into  the  cathedral. 

"There  is  the  bridal  carriage,"  said  my  friend,  "just 
driving  up  to  the  door.  Let  us  station  ourselves  on 
the  steps,  and  see  the  bride  as  she  enters  the  church. 
We  can  afterwards  go  in  and  see  the  ceremony." 

With  some  little  difficulty,  we  elbowed  our  way 
through  the  crowd,  to  a  suitable  position  for  observa 
tion,  and  were  hardly  established  where  we  could  look 
over  the  heads  of  the  multitude,  before  the  carriage 
stopped,  near  the  door,  and  Don  Julio,  as  he  was  called, 
descended  from  it.  He  looked  around  upon  the  crowd 
with  an  air  of  slight  anxiety,  as  I  thought,  and  then 
presenting  his  hand  to  the  lady,  assisted  her  to  alight. 
She  was  splendidly  dressed.  Her  form  showed  to  the 


NOTE    BY   THE   TRANSLATOR.  175 

greatest  advantage  in  the  tasteful  dress  she  had  chosen; 
and  her  countenance  was  radiant  with  bridal  blushes. 

As  they  ascended  the  steps  towards  the  church- 
door,  a  narrow  path  was  opened  for  them  through  the 
crowd.  They  had  reached  the  fourth  step,  when  I 
observed  a  pushing  and  commotion  among  the  mixed 
multitude  near  them,  and  suddenly  a  naked,  brawny 
arm  darted  up  above  the  heads  of  the  people — a  knife 
gleamed  in  the  sunshine,  and  instantly  descended  into 
the  bosom  of  Ramon ;  I  saw  him  fall  backwards ;  I 
heard  the  wild,  agonized  shriek  of  that  fair  creature 
who  had  leaned  upon  his  arm,  and  the  groans  and 
angry  execrations  of  the  people. 

Fifty  persons  at  once  were  inquiring,  "  Who  has 
done  this  ?  Where  is  the  wretch  ?"  when  a  loud,  harsh 
voice  was  heard  replying,  "  I  have  done  it.  I  glory  in 
having  done  it." 

I  turned  my  eyes  from  the  group  of  richly-dressed 
cavaliers  who  were  lifting  the  fainting  lady  into  her 
carriage,  to  the  spot  whence  this  voice  proceeded.  A 
savage-looking  fellow  in  a  sailor's  dress — a  red  shirt, 
with  sleeves  rolled  up,  a  red  cap  and  white  trousers, 
was  held  by  the  arms  by  some  of  the  people,  who 
had  probably  seized  him  the  moment  Ramon  fell, — the 
tumult  had  prevented  my  observing  the  action ; — his 
countenance  was  animated  with  horrible  exultation, 
his  dark  eyes  flashed,  and  his  swarthy  cheeks  glowed 
as  he  addressed  the  multitude,  who  drew  back  aghast 
at  his  bold  avowal  of  the  murder,  those  only  who  held 
him  standing  their  ground.  "  I  have  done  it,"  said  he, 
"  and  I  glory  in  the  act.  He  richly  deserved  his  fate; 


176  NOTE   BY   THE    TRANSLATOR. 

and,  thanks  to  this  good  right  hand,  he  has  met  it.  I 
chose  to  do  it  myself,  lest  bribes  and  court  favour 
should  have  protected  him  from  the  hand  of  legal  jus 
tice.  I  dealt  the  blow  which  has  stretched  him  upon 
the  stones,  there ;  not  because  he  has  murdered  many 
innocent  men,  and  robbed  many  honourable  merchants; 
not  because  he  was  the  scourge  of  the  West  Indian 
seas,  and  the  enemy  of  all  mankind ;  but  because,  being 
our  captain,  he  basely  deserted  us.  When  he  had 
grown  rich  by  our  toils  and  dangers — the  toils  and 
dangers  of  men  whom  he  himself  had  seduced  from  the 
paths  of  honour — he  meanly  left  us  upon  a  false  pre 
tence  ;  came  hither  to  hold  up  his  head  among  grandees, 
and  be  called  a  cavalier,  an  honourable  man,  and  the 
relative  of  an  honourable  house.  The  lady's  friends 
may  thank  me  for  having  saved  their  illustrious  line 
from  contamination ;  for  the  man  who  was  about  to 
ally  himself  to  their  family  was  the  most  sanguinary 
pirate  that  ever  spread  terror  through  these  peaceful 
islands :  yes,  the  man  that  dared  to  aspire  to  the  niece 
of  a  grandee  of  Spain,  was  Ramon  the  Rover!" 


\^>  &S      Vf>  ci/      V/>  <x/ 


POSTSCRIPT. 


THE   FOLLOWING   ARTICLE  APPEARED   W  THE   NEW   YORK   MIRROR 
SHORTLY    AFTER    THE    FIRST    PUBLICATION    OF   THIS    STORY. 


RAMON,   THE    ROVER   OF   CUBA. 

|R.  MORRIS,  Having  read 
in  a  newspaper,  not 
long  since,  a  notice 
of  a  book  called  "  Ra 
mon,  the  Rover  of 
Cuba,"  I  immediately 
went  to  a  bookstore 
and  bought  a  copy  of 
it,  feeding  a  more  than  ordinary  interest  in  its  contents, 
inasmuch  as  the  hero  of  the  narrative  (who,  by  the 
way,  is  as  famous  in  Cuba  as  Paul  Jones  is  here) 
was  an  old  acquaintance  of  my  own.  If  you  and  your 
readers  will  have  a  little  patience  while  I  tell  the  story 
in  my  own  way,  you  shall  hear  all  about  it. 

I  was  a  passenger  in  the  schooner  John,  Captain 
Marks,  of  Rhode  Island,  from  Matanzas,  bound   to 
Charleston,  in  the  winter  of  1825.    The  schooner  wa« 
23  177 


178  POSTSCRIPT. 

loaded  with  molasses ;  and  there  was  also  a  quantity 
of  fruit  on  board,  which,  to  tell  the  truth,  was  my  own 
adventure.  The  oranges  were  in  barrels  on  deck ;  the 
plantains  and  bananas  stowed  in  bulk  directly  under 
the  main  hatch,  where  there  was  a  break  in  the  tier  of 
molasses  hogsheads;  and  the  pine-apples  were  hung  up 
in  bunches  in  the  cabin.  A  nicer  lot  of  fruit  was 
never  shipped  from  Cuba,  and  if  we  had  arrived  in 
Charleston  in  four  days,  as  the  captain  calculated,  I 
should  have  made  a  pretty  speck  of  it.  But  that  is 
from  the  subject.  I  was  going  to  tell  you  about  Don 
Ramon. 

Captain  Marks  was  a  clever  man.  I  had  been  a 
passenger  with  him  before.  He  was  rather  tallish  and 
slimmish,  that  is  not  very  stout.  He  used  to  wear  a 
lightish  coloured  pea-jacket,  and  a  drab  felt  hat,  and 
had  a  stoop  forward  in  his  gait.  He  was  a  powerful 
strong  man.  When  three  or  four  lubberly  sailors  were 
pulling  away  without  being  able  to  start  the  top-gallant^ 
yard,  I  have  seen  him  lay  hold  of  the  rope  above  their 
hands,  and  jirk  the  yard  up  with  perfect  ease. 

The  schooner  John  was  a  long-legged  craft,  sparred 
out  of  all  reason,  so  that  in  a  fresh  breeze  it  was  apt 
to  be  damp  walking  on  deck.  I  never  rode  out  a  gale 
of  wind  in  her ;  but  Captain  Marks  told  me,  that  in  a 
stiff  northeaster  "she  beat  all  natur  for  cutting  dirt." 
I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  it. 

When  we  had  left  Punto  Mayo  six  hours,  with  a 
light  breeze  from  the  southward,  it  being  then  about 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  saw  a  sail  in  shore  on 
our  weather  bow,  standing  to  the  eastward.  Captain 


rosTscRipf.  179 

Marks  took  tho  glass  and*  made  her  out,  as  he  said,  to 
be  "  an  infernal  long-sided,  black,  saucy-looking  son  of 
a  gun  of  a  schooner,  with  raking  masts  and  powerful 
heavy  spars."  In  five  minutes  after  he  had  concluded 
his  description  of  her,  she  was  bearing  down  upon  us 
under  a  press  of  sail.  Here  was  a  pretty  piece  of 
business.  Being  chased  by  a  pirate  was  what  the 
captain  had  not  calculated  upon.  We  had  a  couple 
of  six  pounders  and  a  few  muskets  and  sabres ;  but 
what  were  these  against  a  well-armed  rover,  which  no 
doubt  the  enemy  was? 

But,  for  all  that,  Captain  Marks  was  as  cool  as  a 
peach.  He  ordered  every  rag  of  canvass  set,  for  run 
ning  away;  and  all  the  arms  in  order  for  fighting. 
Then,  says  he  to  me,  "  Mr.  Smith,  you  had  better  go 
below  and  make  your  will,  for  I  calculate  that  is  a 
pirate,  and  if  a  fresh  breeze  don't  spring  up,  she  will 
be  alongside  of  us  in  two  hours."  I  told  Captain 
Marks  I  was  much  obliged  to  him  for  his  advice,  but 
I  had  rather  stay  on  deck  and  see  the  upshot  of  the 
matter.  However,  a  fresh  breeze  did  spring  up,  and 
the  John  gained  upon  her  fast  for  three  hours  and  a 
half,  when  it  fell  a  dead  calm.  The  sea  was  as  smooth 
as  a  mill  pond.  The  pirates  got  out  their  sweeps, 
sent  their  boats  ahead  with  towlines,  and  were  coming 
up  with  us  very  rapidly. 

"Captain  Marks,"  said  the  mate  "what  shall  we 
do?  It's  of  no  use  to  fight." 

"  Mister  Mudge,"  replied  the  captain,  "we  will  fight 
It's  of  no  use  to  surrender." 


180  POSTSCRIPT. 

"  We  shall  all  be  shot  if  we  fight,"  said  the  mate. 

"  We  shall  all  have  our  throats  cut,  if  we  strike," 
said  the  captain. 

"Then  I  guess  we  may  as  well  fight,"  said  the 
mate. 

"I  calculate  we  may,"  said  the  captain.  "Are 
these  guns  primed,  Mister  Mudge?"  said  the  captain. 

"  Yes  sir,"  replied  the  mate. 

"Put  a  handful  of  spikes  and  some  musket  balls 
into  each  of  them.  I  don't  think  it's  of  any  use  to  mince 
the  matter,"  said  the  captain. 

"  I  guess  you  mean  to  mince  the  pirates,"  replied 
the  mate,  as  he  was  stuffing  the  langridge  into  the  six 
pounders. 

At  this  moment  I  observed  a  wreath  of  smoke  issu 
ing  from  the  bow  port  of  the  pirate,  and  instantly  a  can 
non  ball  struck  one  of  my  barrels  on  our  quarter  deck, 
near  where  we  were  standing,  and  made  a  very  liberal 
distribution  of  the  oranges  among  us. 

"  He  bites  before  he  barks,"  said  the  mate. 

"  I  guess  there  will  be  some  loss  on  that  there  fruit, 
Mr.  Smith,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Schooner  ahoy !"  growled  a  voice  through  a  speak 
ing  trumpet  from  the  enemy. 

"  He  first  fires  and  then  hails;  that  is  like  knocking 
a  man  down,  and  then  telling  him  to  stand.  I  wonder 
where  the  man  learnt  his  manners,"  said  the  captain; 
and  then  putting  his  own  speaking  trumpet  to  his 
mouth,  growled  back  upon  his  adversary,  "  Halloo !" 

"  Strike  your  colours  and  send  your  boat  on  board," 
said  the  pirate. 


POSTSCRIPT.  181 

11  Not  as  you  knows  on,"  replied  Captain  Marks. 

The  boats  which  had  been  ahead  of  the  pirates  tow 
ing,  now  slacked  their  towlines  and  pulled  alongside 
their  own  vessel,  which  was  nearing  us  fast  enough 
with  four  sweeps.  Our  sails  hung  flapping  against 
the  masts,  and  the  schooner  was  rolling  considerably. 
The  people,  who  seemed  to  have  made  <up  their  minds 
to  sell  their  lives  as  Yankees  do  other  commodities, 
for  the  most  they  would  fetch,  were  all  intent  upon 
their  preparations  for  the  fight.  Each  man  wore  his 
sabre,  and  all  were  provided  with  muskets  except  those 
who  were  to  manage  the  guns.  I  stood  near  the  offi 
cers  on  the  quarter-deck,  and,  entering  into  the  spirit 
of  the  occasion,  had  brought  up  my  double  barreled 
giin,  and  a  sword  which  my  grandfather,  John  Smith, 
wore  at  the  taking  of  Cape  Breton. 

The  pirate  was  soon  broadside  to,  within  pistol  shot. 
Their  sweeps  were  hauled  in,  and  four  guns  were  now 
fired  upon  us  in  quick  succession.  Two  of  the  balls 
passed  over  us  without  damage :;  one  struck  the  water 
before  it  reached  us,  and  the  other  passed  into  our  ves 
sel's  side,  and  made  a  considerable  splashing  and  splut 
tering  below. 

"  Captain  Marks,"  said  I,  "  I  rather  calculate  there 
will  be  some  loss  on  that  there  molasses." 

"  I  expect  there  will  be  some  leakage,  Mr.  Smith," 
said  the  captain.  "  Tom  Jenkins,"  continued  he,  "  let 
them  have  a  little  of  that  there  mixture  on  their  quar 
ter-deck." 

Tom  Jenkins  was  a  regular  old  salt.  He  had  served 
on  board  the  Constitution  last  war,  and  knew  how  to 


182  POSTSCRIPT. 

take  advantage  of  a  roll  in  taking  aim  with  a  six 
pounder.  He  let  off  one  of  our  guns  so  cleverly,  that 
its  miscellaneous  contents  caused  a  great  deal  of  danc 
ing  and  hard  swearing  on  the  pirate's  deck. 

"  Give  him  the  other !"  said  the  captain,  and  the 
second  gun  was  fired  with  equal  success. 

So  far  the  battle  was  in  our  favour;  but  a  breeze 
springing  up  from  the  southward,  and  the  pirate  being 
in  that  direction,  he  bore  down  upon  us  and  grappled. 
We  flew  to  our  vessel's  side  to  repel  them  from  board 
ing,  but  the  horrid  war-cry  of  "Ramon  y  victoria!" 
rang  in  our  ears.  The  pirates,  headed  by  their  re 
nowned  leader,  poured  in  multitudes  upon  our  deck. 

I  saw  Ramon  himself  when  he  first  gave  the  order 
for  boarding.  He  was  standing  on  his  own  quarter 
deck,  with  his  hat  off,  in  his  short  jacket  and  trowsers. 
He  was  taller  than  the  rest  of  the  officers,  and  seemed  to 
look  scornfully  down  upon  them.  When  the  second 
shot  from  us  took  effect  among  his  men,  he  became 
perfectly  furious.  He  swung  his  sword  over  his  head, 
and  pointing  towards  us,  ordered  them,  in  a  voice  of 
thunder,  to  grapple  and  board.  While  they  neared  us, 
he  arranged  the  boarders,  and  placing  himself  at  their 
head,  was  the  first  to  step  on  our  deck.  As  he  did  so, 
I  took  deliberate  aim  at  his  head  with  my  fowling-piece, 
and  let  off  both  barrels  at  him;  but  the  roll  of  the 
vessel  saved  the  scoundrel. 

Captain  Marks,  having  discharged  his  piece,  flew  at 
him  with  a  handspike,  which  he  had  providently  laid 
on  the  companion-way.  A  dozen  of  the  pirates  threw 
themselves  between  the  commanders,  and  three  of  them 


POSTSCRIPT. 

were  prostrated  by  a  single  sweep  of  the  handspike. 
Before  he  could  raise  it  again,  Captain  Marks  was 
pierced  with  many  wounds  from  their  long  knives,  and 
fell  upon  the  deck.  This  was  the  last  I  saw  of  the 
action ;  for  a  moment  afterwards,  I  received  a  heavy 
blow  on  my  head,  and  fell  senseless. 

When  I  came  to  my  senses,  I  found  myself  lying  in 
a  comfortable  berth,  the  curtain  of  which  being  closed, 
I  could  not  see  what  cabin  I  was  in ;  although  the 
light  that  came  through  the  small  opening  of  the  cur 
tains  was  sufficient  to  apprize  me  that  the  berth  was 
not  my  own.  I  felt  stiff  and  sore,  and  my  head  ached 
severely.  I  was  neither  able  nor  willing  to  move,  and 
I  lay  for  some  time  listening  to  the  rush  of  the  waters, 
as  the  vessel  glided  through  the  waves  with  an  easy 
motion.  Gradually  I  recovered  a  distinct  recollection 
of  the  fight,  and  all  its  horrible  circumstances ;  at  last, 
I  came  to  the  comfortable  conclusion  that  I  was  lodged 
in  the  pirate's  cabin,  and  reserved  for  some  new  ex 
hibition  of  cruelty  and  malice. 

I  managed  to  turn  myself  on  my  side  towards  the 
light,  and  carefully  reaching  out  my  hand,  I  raised  the 
curtain,  without  any  noise,  so  as  to  gain  a  peep  into 
the  cabin.  It  was  handsomely  furnished,  the  panel 
ing  of  mahogany,  and  the  curtains  of  crimson  silk.  A 
brilliant  lamp  hung  suspended  from  above,  over  a  splen 
did  centre-table,  on  which  were  disposed  a  pair  of  silver- 
mounted  pistols,  a  richly-chased  sword,  and  several 
books  and  charts.  One  of  these  last  was  spread  out 
before  the  only  person  whom  I  observed  in  the  cabin, 
and  whom  I  instantly  recognised  as  the  Rover.  I  re- 


1 84  POSTSCRIPT. 

member  his  looks,  as  if  it  were  but  yesterday.  He 
was  seated  at  the  table,  supporting  his  forehead  with 
his  left  hand,  and  diligently  examining  the  chart.  His 
features  were  regular  and  very  handsome;  his  eyes 
large,  black,  and  full  of  fire ;  his  hair  long  and  cluster 
ing  over  his  shoulders.  He  wore  a  fine  jacket  of  blue 
broadcloth,  and  white  vest  and  trousers,  with  a  girdle- 
belt  of  morocco,  in  which  were  stuck  a  brace  of  pistols 
and  a  dirk. 

When  he  had  been  poring  over  the  chart  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes,  a  boy  entered  the  cabin  with  a  dessert 
of  sweetmeats  and  fruit,  and  a  bottle  of  red  wine, 
placed  upon  a  silver  salver;  and  soon  after  a  man 
came  below,  whom  I  afterwards  found  to  be 'the  sail 
ing-master.  He  was  a  coarse,  malignant,  sanguinary 
villain ;  and  his  character  was  written  in  his  features. 
I  never  saw  such  a  diabolical  face;  it  was  dark, 
swarthy,  half-covered  with  mustachios,  and  bore  an 
ugly  scar  over  the  left  eye.  He  had  an  eye  like  a  black 
snake ;  his  very  smile  was  grim  enough,  but  his  frown 
beggars  all  description.  He  sat  down  to  the  dessert 
with  his  commander,  and  they  entered  into  conversa 
tion  ;  but  as  it  was  in  the  Spanish  language,  I  was  not 
able  to  make  out  much  of  it.  Ramon  drank  of  the 
wine  sparingly,  the  other  freely. 

While  they  were  finishing  their  dessert  with  a  cup 
of  coffee,  some  one  of  the  crew  put  his  head  down  the 
companion-way,  and  in  the  English  language  announced 
a  sail  ahead.  I  shuddered,  and  threw  myself  back 
again  in  the  berth,  while  the  pirate-officers  hurried 
upon  deck. 


POSTSCRIPT.  185 

For  half  an  hour  afterwards  I  heard  only  the  rush 
ing  of  the  waters  by  the  wooden  walls  of  the  cabin, 
with  now  and  then  a  hoarse  word  of  command  from 
some  one  on  the  quarter-deck;  then  the  growling  voice 
through  the  speaking-trumpet,  "  Ship  ahoy !"  I  could 
not  hear  the  answers,  nor  could  I  understand  the  hail- 
ings  which  the  pirate  afterwards  made.  When  the 
dialogue  through  the  speaking-trumpet  was  over,  an 
order  was  issued  to  the  men ;  and  from  the  bustle  which 
followed  I  concluded  that  they  were  clearing  the  decks 
for  action.  Directly  the  Rover  came  below,  and  be 
gan  to  prepare  himself  for  the  active  scene  in  which  he 
was  to  engage.  He  pulled  off  his  cravat  and  opened 
his  shirt-collar,  tied  a  bandanna  handkerchief  round 
his  waist,  pulled  off  his  boots,  put  on  a  pair  of  light 
pumps.  He  then  carefully  examined  the  priming  of 
his  pistols,  and,  taking  his  sword  from  the  table,  went 
upon  deck  once  more. 

You  can  easily  imagine,  Mr.  Editor,  what  sort 
of  reflections  were  passing  in  my  mind  at  this  time. 
Helpless  and  friendless,  prostrate  and  half-dead  with 
bruises,  a  prisoner  to  pirates,  and  just  about  to  en 
counter  the  horrors  of  a  sea-fight,  without  even  the 
poor  satisfaction  of  striking  a  blow  in  my  own  defence, 
or  the  prospect  of  deliverance  in  case  the  pirate  should 
be  conquered,  and  my  carcass  escape  the  dangers  of  the 
battle.  "  If  the  pirates  beat,"  thought  I,  "  I  shall  at 
their  first  leisure  be  flayed  alive  for  an  honest  man ;  if 
they  are  beaten,  I  shall  be  hung  for  a  pirate." 

My  reflections  were  interrupted  by  a  broadside  from 
the  vessel  I  was  in,  which  was  directly  answered  by 


186  POSTSCRIPT. 

-  *.•  'JV  .*  *t        >    • 

another  from  her  antagonist.  A  ball  came  into  the 
cabin,  passed  right  over  my  body,  and,  dashing  the 
cabin-lamp  to  pieces,  left  me  in  utter  darkness.  The 
loud  shouts  of  the  pirates  now  rose  upon  the  night- 
breeze,  mingled  with  curses  in  all  languages,  and  the 
groans  of  the  wounded  and  dying,  in  the  one  universal 
language  of  suffering  and  agony. 

Presently,  a  heavy  shock  against  the  side  of  our 
vessel  made  me  aware  that  the  combatants  had  grap 
pled,  and  the  clashing  of  swords  and  the  report  of  pis 
tols  gave  notice  of  the  pirates'  having  boarded  their 
enemy.  Then  the  tremendous  voice  of  the  Rover,  and 
the  shouts  of  "Ramon!  Ramon!"  from  his  own 
men,  were  heard  above  the  wild  tumult  of  the  fight. 

The  agony  of  suspense  which  I  had  suffered  during 
the  action  now  rose  so  high,  that  my  feeble  strength 
could  sustain  it  no  longer ;  my  brain  reeled ;  all  recol 
lection,  all  sense  forsook  me,  and  I  fainted. 

When  I  recovered,  I  was  lying  upon  a  mattrass 
spread  upon  the  deck  of  the  vessel ;  and  the  first  object 
that  met  my  eyes  was  the  Rover,  bending  over  me  with 
a  look  of  intense  interest  and  compassion.  When  he 
saw  me  open  my  eyes,  he  spoke  to  me  in  English. 

"  So,  you  are  better;  here,  taste  this."  And  he  gave 
me  a  cordial.  "  Come,  raise  yourself  up  a  little  and 
look  about." 

So  saying,  he  assisted  me  to  lean  against  the  com 
panion-way,  and  I  gazed  upon  the  scene  around  me. 
It  was  a  clear,  bright  day,  and  by  the  light  colour  and 
smoothness  of  the  water,  I  knew  that  we  were  sailing 


POSTSCRIPT.  187 

on  the  great  bank  of  Bahama.  All  was  tranquil  and 
serene.  The  sea-birds  were  sailing  over  the  waters, 
and  the  shoals  of  flying-fish  darting  out  into  the  air. 

No  sail  was  in  sight;  but  few  of  the  pirates  were 
visible,  and  those  were  lounging  about  the  deck,  some 
smoking,  and  others  leaning  idly  over  the  gunwale,  and 
gazing  vacantly  on  the  waters.  The  Rover  sat  by  me, 
and  watched  my  countenance.  His  truculent-looking 
sailing-master  was  stretched  at  his  length  on  a  sea-chest, 
a  few  feet  from  me,  and  casting  occasionally  a  malig 
nant  glance  at  the  Rover  and  myself. 

"  Young  man,"  said  Ramon,  "  you  wonder,  I  sup 
pose,  that  you  have  not  shared  the  fate  of  your  com 
panions.  I  saved  you  because  I  chose  to  do  so ;  it 
was  my  whim. 

"  I  have  a  freak  of  that  sort  come  into  my  head  some 
times.  I  liked  your  looks ;  I  took  a  sort  of  fancy  to 
you,  and  said  to  myself — the  fellow  shall  not  be  de 
stroyed.  Your  safety  has  cost  me  something,  and  will, 
perhaps,  cost  me  more.  But  I  have  said  it — and  a 
legion  shall  not  move  me  from  my  purpose — you  shall 
be  safe." 

I  expressed  my  gratitude  as  well  as  I  was  able,  and 
the  pirate  kept  his  word.  But  I  have  already  made 
my  story  too  long,  To  conclude,  then — after  staying 
a  week  on  board  the  schooner,  and  entirely  recovering 
my  strength,  I  was  set  on  shore  three  miles  from 
Punto  Mayo,  and  found  my  way  to  Matanzas,  and  not 
long  after  returned  to  the  United  States. 
Your  friend  and  humble  servant, 

JACOBUS  JOHN  SMITH. 


180 


TMi 


OIL  DM, 


CHAPTER  I. 


Mio  traveller  who  goes  to 
the  city  of  Rio  de  Ja 
neiro,  will  choose  to 
omit  a  visit  to  the  Pa 
lace  of  Saint  Chris- 
tovao,  situated  about  a 


192  SAINT    CHRISTOVAO. 

canes  smiling  with  unfailing  verdure ;  groves  of  orange 
trees*  plantains  and  bananas — the  tall  palm*  with  its 
straight  pillar-like  trunk  and  its  tuft  of  branches  spread 
ing  out  at  top ;  the  bignonia  leucoxylon,  which  is  sup 
posed  by  the  country  people  to  foretell  rain  by  the  ap 
pearance  of  its  beautiful  blossoms;  the  Brazilian 
myrtle,  rendered  conspicuous  by  its  silver  coloured 
bark ;  the  mango,  with  its  dark  spreading  foliage,  and 
the  Bourgainvillia  Braziliensis,  with  its  dazzling  red 
flowers,  and  a  thousand  other  luxuriant  trees  and 
flowering  shrubs,  combine  to  form  a  landscape  of  sur 
passing  loveliness.  The  vale  is  completely  surrounded 
with  mountains,  some  stretching  gradually  away  into 
the  blue  distance^  and  others  rising  abruptly  in  sharp 
peaks  Which  pierce  the  clouds.  On  one1  side  the  sugar 
loaf  is  seen  elevating  its  huge  form  above  the  surround 
ing  summits.  On  another  an  assemblege  of  narrow 
rocky  peaks,  presents  so  near  a  resemblance  to  the 
show  pipes  of  a  church  organ,  as  to  have  procured  for 
it  the  name  of  the  Organ  Mountain.  Other  summits, 
which  are  visible  from  the  vale,  have  received  names 
appropriate  to  their  fancied  resemblance  to  some  fami 
liar  object,  as  the  Parrot's  Beak,  &c. 

This  amphitheatre  of  mountains,  receding  in  due  per 
spective,  lends  an  imposing  grandeur  which  adds  not 
a  little  to  the  effect  of  the  whole  scene.  Many  an  ad 
mirer  of  nature  has  felt  new  emotions  of  admiration 
on  beholding  it,  and  acknowledged  that  if  the  northern 
landscape  lays  exclusive  claim  to  the  soft  witchery  of 
pastoral  quietness  and  moral  simplicity,  the  southern 


THE    YOUNG    LUIS.  193 

is  pre-eminent  in  gorgeous  splendour  and  imposing 
sublimity. 

On  the  borders  of  this  vale,  a  few  years  since,  was 
to  be  seen  the  retired  country  seat  of  Don  Ignacio 
Pereira,  a  merchant,  who,  with  his  family,  consisting  of 
his  wife,  an  only  son,  and  a  few  domestics,  had  left 
the  city  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  the  enjoy 
ment  of  domestic  happiness,  and  the  society  of  such 
of  his  friends  as  chose  to  make  his  hospitable  dwelling 
an  occasional  resort 

The  young  Luis  was  rendered  peculiarly  dear  to 
his  parents,  not  only  by  his  noble  and  generous  dis 
position  and  his  fine  abilities,  but  by  the  circumstance 
of  his  being  the  only  survivor  of  a  numerous  family. 
Nothing  had  been  spared  to  render  his  education  com 
plete  but  a  tour  abroad,  and  to  this  his  fond  parents 
could  never  bring  themselves  to  consent; — nor  did  the 
youth  desire  it.  He  loved  his  own  country,  colony  as 
it  then  was.  He  delighted  to  rove  among  the  deep 
shades  of  the  forest,  to  watch  the  frolics  of  the  various 
tribes  of  monkeys  which  enliven  its  solitudes  with 
their  chattering ;  to  listen  to  the  metallic  tones  of  the 
bell-bird,  and  admire  the  rich  plumage  of  the  thousands 
of  feathered  inhabitants  of  the  air,  which  swarm 
among  the  ever-verdant  groves  of  Brazil. 

Among  the  tutors  who  had  at  different  periods  di 
rected  Luis's  studies,  was  an  Italian,  who  had  been  en 
gaged  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  him  the  language 
of  Dante  and  Tasso,  as  an  elegant  accomplishment. 
When  his  father  retired  from  the  city,  Luis,  who  had 
25  R 


194  INFLUENCE    OF    EDUCATION. 

then  arrived  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  had  completely 
acquired  the  language,  and  he  purchased  a  greater  part 
of  his  teacher's  library,  (which  consisted  of  a  few 
choice  Italian  books,)  to  read  in  the  country. 

It  was  the  reading  of  these  that  gave  the  colour  to 
his  fate.  His  warm  southern  imagination  and  gener 
ous  spirit  needed  but  the  fervid  images  of  Ariosto,  and 
the  heroic  story  of  Botta,  to  render  him  a  perfect 
child  of  romance.  The  impression  made  on  his  ardent 
mind,  by  reading  the  eloquent  history  of  the  War  of 
Independence,  was  heightened  by  the  interesting  state 
of  his  country, — a  vast  territory,  rich  in  every  resource 
of  national  grandeur,  yet  owning  the  despotic  sway  of 
an  insignificant  and  distant  kingdom ,  possessing  every 
element  of  a  separate  sovereignty,  yet  remaining  in  the 
most  abject  vassalage.  The  conversations  of  enligh 
tened  foreigners  at  his  father's  table,  and  the  rumours 
of  the  war  which  reached  him  from  the  neighbouring 
colonies,  who  were  striving  to  throw  off  the  Spanish 
yoke,  also  contributed  to  fire  his  young  bosom  with 
patriotic  hopes  and  purposes. 

He  resolved  to  devote  himself  to  the  cause  of  his 

country.     But  how  was  he  to  learn  the  military  art  ? 

There  was  then  no  promise  of  a  revolution — no  army 

of  patriots — no  mention  of  that  national  independence 

for  which  he  so  ardently  longed.     The  power  and  re- 

'   sources  of  the  country  predicted  its  future  destiny; 

but  no  one  seemed  to  have  listened  to  the  prophecy. 

r  He  felt  assured  that  an  opportunity  would  ere  long 

>w  arrive  for  him  to  signalize  himself  as  he   desired,  and 

recollecting  that  many  of  the  patriotic  officers  in  Wash- 


LUIS   JOINS  THE    ARMY*  195 

ington's  army  had  served  under  the  British  banner, 
he  besought  his  father  to  allow  him  to  enter  the  royal 
service.     This  was  for   a  long  time  tenaciously  op 
posed,  because  it  would  occasion  a  separation.     Luis's 
sense  of  filial  duty  was  too  strong  to  allow  him  for  a 
moment  to  entertain  a  thought  of  resisting  his  father's 
authority,  and  the  refusal  of  his  request  was  a  serious 
misfortune.     He  brooded  over  his  drooping  hopes  in 
secret,  avoided  society,  neglected  his  studies,  and  wan 
dered  in  the  groves  of  the  beautiful  valley  for  whole 
days  together.     At  length  his  health  began  to  decline, 
and  his  parents  becoming  seriously  alarmed  and  fear 
ful  of  losing  him,   by  opposing  his  inclination  any 
longer,  consented  to  his  becoming  an  officer  in  one  of 
the  regiments  stationed  at  Rio.     A  lieutenant's  com 
mission  was  obtained  without  difficulty,  and  the  young 
gentleman  addressed  himself  with  all  his  accustomed 
ardour  to  learning  the  art  of  war.     It  happened,  how 
ever,  that  for  a  long  time  there  was  no  active  service 
for  him,  although  the  king  of  Portugal  was  then  con 
tending  for  possession  of  the  Banda  Oriental.     His 
prudent  father,  without  his  knowledge,  had  exercised 
his  influence  so  successfully  with  the  government,  as 
to  prevent  his  being  ordered  away,  and  Luis's  acquisi 
tions  were,  for  the  present,  confined  to  the  mere  tactics 
of  the  parade.    When  a  year  had  been  passed  in  this 
manner,  the  court  of  Portugal,  which  had  been  com 
pelled  to  emigrate  from  their  mother  country,  in  the 
year  1807,  and  had  since  been  fixed  at  Rio,  returned 
to  Lisbon,  the  son  of  the  king,  Don  Pedro,  being  left  in 
the  office  of  regent.     Soon  after  this  event,  Luis  was 


196 


MARCH  TO  THE  BANDA  ORIENTAL. 


surprised  and  delighted  at  receiving  an  order  to  join 
a  regiment  which  was  to  depart  immediately  for  the 
Banda  Oriental,  the  seat  of  war.  But  his  pleasure 
was  somewhat  diminished  by  the  suddenness  of  the 
notice,  which  did  not  even  allow  him  time  to  visit  his 
parents.  In  an  hour  after  he  first  received  order  to 
depart,  he  was  on  the  march. 


197 


CHAPTER  II. 


I 


IE  boundary  between 
the  Portuguese  posses 
sions  in  South  America 
and  those  of  Spain,  had 
been  a  subject  of  dis 
pute  between  the  two 
nations  from  an  early 
period  of  its  history; 
and  the  Portuguese  had 
made  frequent  attempts  to  extend  its  limits  to  La  Plata. 
After  the  emigration  of  the  royal  family  to  Brazil, 
it  had  become  an  object  of  comparatively  greater  im 
portance  to  obtain  the  territory  east  of  the  river,  called 
the  Banda  Oriental,  and  the  favourable  opportunity 
afforded  by  the  civil  war  in  Buenos  Ayres  had  been 
embraced  by  the  Brazilian  government  to  invade  that 
country  with  a  powerful  force  and  seize  the  capital, 
Monte  Video.  The  patriots,  however,  still  continued 
to  occupy  many  other  important  stations  in  the  vicinity, 
cutting  off  the  supplies  of  the  Portuguese,  and  maintain 
ing  a  species  of  guerilla  warfare,  which  kept  the  gar- 
r«wn  in  constant  vigilance  and  frequent  action.  The 

199 


200  A      THE    GUACHOS. 

most  efficient  force  of  the  patriots  was  their  calvary, 
which  was  composed  principally  of  herdsmen  from 
the  pampas.  These  people  are  the  most  dexterous 
horsemen  in  the  world.  They  are  trained  to  the  ex 
ercise  from  their  infancy,  and  are  also  accustomed  to 
the  use%f  the  lasso,  which  is  a  thong  or  cord  of  hide, 
several  yar^  in  length,  fastened  by  an  iron  ring  to  the 
saddle.  It. is  thrown  with  astonishing  dexterity  while 
on  horseback  at  full  speed,  and  scarcely  ever  fails  to 
arrest  the  swiftest  animal,  the  horse  bracing  himself  so 
as  to  counteract  the  efforts  of  the  entangled  game  to 
escape.  Having  been  long  engaged  in  .the  civil  wars, 
these  Guachos,  as  they  are  called,  had  become  as  ex 
pert  in  the  use  of  the  musket  on  horseback,  as  of  the 
lasso,  and  their  activity,  hardiness,  and  courage,  com 
bined  to  render  them  the  most  formidable  guerilla  sol 
diery  that  ever  existed. 

It  was  with  such  an  enemy  that  Luis  was  called 
upon  to  contend  in  his  first  actions,  in  which  the  cool 
ness  and  discipline  of  a  regular  soldiery  would  have 
proved  of  little  avail,  but  for  the  great  superiority  of 
the  Portuguese  force.     They  were  able  to  retain  the 
city  of  Monte  Video,  and  to  seize  upon  other  consi 
derable  posts  in  the  Banda  Oriental,  but  could  by  no 
means  subjugate  the  country  or  drive  out  these  intolera 
ble  Guachos,  who  harassed  them  continually  and  cut 
off  the  supplies  sent  from  the  interior. 

The  service  on  which  he  was  employed  proved  an 
admirable  school  for  our  young  Brazilian,  who  dis 
tinguished  himself  in  many  of  the  actions  which  were 
constantly  taking  place,  so  that  when  he  had  been  two 


201 

years  in  this  region,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  a  company.  Soon  after  his  promotion,  and  while 
he  was  stationed  in  Monte  Video,  he  removed  his 
quarters  to  a  house  directly  opposite  the  residence  of 
the  captain  of  the  port.  The  evening  after  his  removal, 
he  was  sitting  in  his  chamber,  with  his  window  cur 
tains  drawn  aside  so  as  to  admit  the  free  Current  of 
the  evening  breeze.  His  thoughts  wandered  back  to 
the  home  of  his  youth,  the  beloved  friends  from  whom 
he  had  so  long  been  separated,  and  those  scenes  of 
domestic  happiness  and  rural  repose  which  were  re 
garded  with  a  fonder  feeling  of  regret  from  the  days 
of  turbulence  and  strife  which  had  succeeded  them. 
He  recollected  that  at  the  twilight  hour,  music  had 
been  his  favourite  amusement.  "  Bring  me  my  guitar, 
Manuel,"  said  he  to  a  favourite  servant.  The  instru 
ment  was  brought ;  he  had  not  handled  it  for  months. 
He  tuned  it,  and  began  a  plaintive,  touching  air,  "  pleas 
ant  and  mournful  to  the  soul,  like  the  memory  of  joys 
that  are  past."  The  music  which  he  had  resorted  to, 
as  a  relief  from  melancholy  reflections,  seemed  rather 
to  increase  them.  He  laid  the  guitar  on  the  table,  and 
resting  his  forehead  on  his  hand,  was  lost  in  thought. 
A  peal  of  cannon  from  the  fort  broke  his  meditations ; 
it  was  only  an  ordinary  salute ;  but  to  the  ear  of  a 
soldier,  there  is  always  something  to  stir  the  spirit  in 
that  sound.  Coming  on  his  ear  at  that  moment,  it  re 
vived  all  his  youthful  dreams  of  his  country's  glory. 
He  caught  up  the  guitar,  and  accompanying  his  voice 
with  it,  sung  a  bold  martial  air.  His  manly  tones  made 
the  spacious  chamber  ring,  and  were  borne  far  out  upon 
26 


202  THE  CAPTAIN'S  DAUGHTER. 

the  evening  breeze.  As  he  paused  in  the  song,  he  saw 
a  rich  curtain  s.lowly  withdrawn  in  the  house  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street,  and  presently  a  slender  fe 
male  figure  appeared,  leaning  against  the  upright  bars 
of  the  window.  From  the  place  where  he  sat,  Luis 
could  wat^i  her  unobserved.  By  the  light  of  the 
moon,  which  fell  strongly  upon  the  window,  he  could 
perceive  that  she  was  elegantly  dressed  and  more  ele 
gantly  formed,  but  her  countenance  was  shaded  by  the 
arm  against  which  she  rested  her  head;  she  appeared 
to  be  attentively  listening  to  his  song. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  he  repeated  it,  and 
followed  it  by  several  others,  of  the  same  character. 
The  lady  scarcely  moved,  except  occasionally  to  lean 
a  little  forward  as  if  to  catch  every  tone  of  his  voice. 
Emboldened  by  this  tacit  applause,  Luis  varied  his  ef 
forts;  he  sung  a  comic  national  air,  and  was  heard 
with  equal  attention.  Recollecting  a  little  Italian  love 
song  which  had  been  taught  him  by  his  tutor,  he  ad 
vanced  nearer  to  the  window,  and  sang  it  in  his  softest 
tones,  accompanying  it  with  but  an  occasional  touch 
of  the  guitar.  He  had  scarcely  finished  a  verse,  when 
the  figure  suddenly  receded  from  the  window,  and 
the  curtain  was  dropped. 

Luis's  romantic  spirit  was  fired  by  this  little  adven 
ture  ;  there  was  every  thing  in  it  to  excite  the  liveliest 
interest.  He  had  heard,  among  the  officers  of  the 
garrison,  that  the  captain  of  the  port  had  a  beautiful 
and  accomplished  daughter,  but  he  had  never  seen  her. 
His  military  life  at  Montevideo  had  been  too  busy  to 
admit  of  his  visiting  among  the  inhabitants. 


THE    INVITATION.  203 

The  fair  one  wno  had  listened  to  his  songs  was  pro 
bably  no  other  than  this  lady.  At  any  rate,  she  was 
a  person  of  rank  and  education,  and  what  was  better, 
one  of  the  strictest  delicacy,  for  she  had  evidently 
understood  the  words  of  the  Italian  song — had  per 
ceived  their  application  to  herself,  and  had  withdrawn 
from  the  window  the  moment  she  had  any  reason  to 
suppose  herself  to  be  observed. 

Evening  after  evening,  Luis  repeated  his  music,  but 
the  fair  incognita  appeared  no  more  at  the  window. 
The  curtain  was  frequently  drawn  aside,  and  more 
than  once  the  action  discovered  a  slender  white  arm ; 
but  no  more  was  revealed  to  his  inquiring  eye.  He 
ardently  desired  an  introduction  to  the  family,  but  his 
loftiness  of  spirit,  and  his  delicacy,  both  forbade  his 
begging  of  a  brother  officer  to  introduce  him,  and  he 
began  to  despair  of  ever  becoming  acquainted  with  his 
fair  neighbour,  when,  on  the  intelligence  of  a  victory 
gained  in  a  distant  part  of  the  province,  the  captain 
gave  a  splendid  entertainment,  and  every  officer  on  the 
station  was  invited. 

Luis  received  his  invitation  with  a  strange  sort  of 
feeling.  It  was  the  very  thing  he  had  been  desiring 
for  a  whole  month,  and  yet  when  he  held  the  billet  in 
his  hand,  and  remembered  that  it  would  introduce  him 
into  the  presence  of  that  fair  being  (for  he  had  already 
settled  it  in  his  mind  that  she  was  surpassingly  fair) 
concerning  whom  he  felt  such  an  undefinable  interest 
— when  he  recollected  that  he  was  first  to  meet  her 
amidst  a  crowd  of  gay  company,  he  felt  more  than 
half  disposed  to  stay  away.  He  had  wished  to  meet 


204  THE    BALL-ROOM. 

her  alone,  in  some  citron  grove,  through  which  soft 
breezes  were  playing,  and  the  pale  light  of  the  moon 
was  breaking ;  and  there  was  something  so  unroman- 
tic,  so  commonplace  in  this,  that  he  felt  a  sort  of  dis 
appointment  in  it.  Recollecting,  however,  that  it  was 
probably  his  only  chance,  he  resolved  to  go ;  and,  ar 
raying  his  elegant  figure  in  a  handsome  uniform,  he 
entered  the  ball-room  at  an  early  hour,  with  emotions 
of  embarrassment  such  as  he  had  never  felt  before, 
The  spacious  rooms  of  the  captain's  mansion  were 
elegantly  decorated ;  the  adjoining  galleries  brilliantly 
lighted  up  with  variegated  lamps,  and  the  square  court 
filled  with  shrubbery,  tastefully  arranged  so  as  to  form 
agreeable  promenades. 

Luis  dared  not  ask  for  an  introduction  to  the  lady 
on  whom  his  thoughts  had  lately  dwelt  so  constantly, 
but  his  eyes  sought  her  figure  in  every  group  of  dancers. 
Many  a  fair  one  did  he  watch  through  the  many  wind 
ings  of  the  waltzing  contra-dance,  where  the  grace 
ful  movements  of  the  arms  and  bendings  of  the  slender 
form  discover  the  most  pleasing  varieties  of  attitude 
and  air.  He  strove  to  find  a  resemblance  to  that 
moonlight  piece  of  living  statuary  which  possessed  his 
warm  fancy.  But  he  strove  in  vain.  Disappointed 
in  his  expectations,  but  still  determined  not  to  make 
any  inquiries  on  the  subject  of  his  inmost  thoughts,  he 
strolled  into  the  court,  and  wandered  among  the  flower 
ing  shrubs  and  waving  streamers  which  hung  from  the 
surrounding  balconies.  He  wandered  about,  now  meet 
ing  a  laughing  group  from  the  ball-room,  and  now  a 
dejected,  dissatisfied  votary  of  pleasure,  who  had  fled 


THE   iNTRObUCttOK.  205 

from  the  gayscene  to  indulge  his  moody  thoughts. 
Suddenly,  a  sound  of  music  from  a  little  arbour  caught 
his  ear.  He  approached,  and  perceived  a  small  party 
of  ladies,  attended  by  some  officers  of  his  acquaintance, 
who  had  retired  to  the  arbour  to  taste  a  collation  of 
sweetmeats.  They  had  finished  their  repast,  and 
were  urging  a  little  girl  to  give  them  a  specimen  of 
her  skill  upon  the  guitar.  When  she  had  finished  a 
tune,  Luis  entered  the  arbour,  and  was  presented  by 
one  of  his  friends  as  Captain  Pereira.  There  was 
one  lady,  whose  form  instantly  attracted  his  eye ;  he 
thought  it  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  that  of  his 
unknown  inamorata.  Her  countenance,  too,  was  full 
of  intelligence  and  nobleness;  her  air  Was  a  pleasing 
mixture  of  dignity  and  softness.  Luis  already  began 
to  wish  that  she  might  prove  to  be  the  object  of  his 
pursuit.  She  was  playfully  persuading  the  wayward 
little  girl  to  repeat  her  song,  or  favour  the  party  with 
another. 

"  What  shall  I  sing,  cousin  Inez  ?"  said  she,  with 
a  half-fretful  air.  "  Any  of  your  old  songs,"  replied 
the  lady.  "  O,  I  know  what  will  please  you,"  said 
she,  with  a  roguish  smile,  "  though  I  can't  sing  the 
words  so  well  as  you  do;"  and  she  played  the  prelude 
to  the  very  Italian  song  which  had  closed  Luis's  sere 
nade. 

Luis  cast  a  glance  towards  the  lady;  a  bright  blush 
spread  over  her  face,  as,  with  an  embarrassed  air, 
she  replied,  "  O !  no,  I  would  not  sing  that;  we  like 
Portuguese  songs  better."  But  her  reluctance  to 
hear  it  only  seemed  to  determine  the  perverse  child 

S 


FIRST   IMPRESSIONS. 

to  go  on,  and  she  sung  the  whole  verse  which  Luis 
had  sung  in  the  lady's  hearing.  He  tried  to  catch  her 
eye,  but  it  was  averted ;  and  when  it  did  meet  his,  a 
few  moments  after  the  verse  was  sung,  another  blush 
placed  it  beyond  a  doubt  that  Luis's  fair  one  was  be 
fore  him. 

A  lively  conversation  between  the  officers  and  the 
ladies  ensued,  in  which  one  of  Luis's  friends  observ 
ing  that  he  was  suffering  with  the  embarrassment 
which  one  who  has  long  been  estranged  from  female 
society  is  apt  to  feel,  on  being  first  introduced  to  it, 
he  kindly  endeavoured  to  draw  him  out.  Luis  felt 
grateful  for  this  mark  of  attention,  and  yielded  to  it  so 
completely,  that  he  soon  became  the  life  of  the  party. 

The  ice  of  formality  being  once  broken,  mirth  and 
good-humoured  playfulness  abounded ;  and  when  the 
party  rose  to  return  to  the  ball-room,  Luis  had  become 
so  well  acquainted  with  the  ladies,  that  he  ventured  to 
solicit  the  fair  Inez's  hand  in  the  next  dance;  a  favour 
which  was  readily  granted.  * 

For  the  remainder  of  the  evening  he  was  happy. 
By  the  most  delicate  and  assiduous  attentions,  he  dis 
covered  to  the  lady  Inez  that  she  had  excited  an  un 
usual  degree  of  interest;  nor  did  she  appear  to  be  in 
sensible  to  his  unobtrusive  and  feeling  marks  of  respect 
and  attachment;  and  when  the  ball  broke  up,  each  re 
tired  to  pass  the  season  of  repose  in  those  soft  reveries 
and  bright  dreams  which  are  wont  to  attend  the  dawn 
ing  of  virtuous  love  in  a  pure  and  unsophisticated  heart. 


CHAPTER  III. 

tuis's  reputation  as 
a  brave  officer, 
and  the  known 
respectability  of 
his  family,  furnish 
ed  ready  passports 
to  the  constant 
hospitalities  of  the 
captain's  house,  and  he  soon  found  himself  established 
on  the  footing  of  an  intimate  acquaintance.  He  was  not 
long  in  finding  an  opportunity  to  declare  his  attachment 
to  the  young  lady,  and  was  not  rejected.  The  parents 
sanctioned  the  engagement,  and  his  brother  officers  con 
gratulated  him  on  being  the  successful  competitor  for  a 
prize  which  so  many  had  sought  in  vain.  His  days 
now  passed  like  a  delightful  dream.  Whenever  his 
duty  would  permit,  he  enjoyed  the  society  of  Donna 
Inez.  They  read,  conversed,  and  rode  together.  The 
merits  of  Camoens,  Tasso,  and  Ariosto  were  discuss 
ed  at  one  time,  and  the  music  of  Rossini  practised  at 
another.  Inez's  piano  could  discourse  no  sweet  sounds 

207 


208  DON  MIGUEL  DA  COSTA. 

without  the  accompaniment  of  Luis's  guitar,  and  her 
harp  was  always  out  of  tune  when  he  was  not  present 
to  sing  with  her. 

Among  the  officers  who  had  danced  attendance  to 
the  fair  Inez,  there  was  one  whose  attentions  were  not 
merely  indifferent,  but  perfectly  odious  to  her — Don 
Miguel  Da  Costa,  a  Portuguese  by  birth,  who  held 
the  rank  of  colonel,  and  boasted  a  descent  from  one 
of  the  most  illustrious  families  in  the  mother  country. 
His  person  was  elegant,  his  manners  polished,  and  his 
character  for  valour  and  courtesy  was  unblemished ; 
but  his  disposition  was  haughty,  and  unfortunately  for 
his  suit,  he  had  inadvertently  expressed  in  the  presence 
of  Inez,  a  thorough  contempt  for  her  beloved  country. 
The  palaces  and  theatres  of  Portugal,  the  wealth  and 
grandeur  of  ancient  families,  the  refinement  of  courts, 
and  the  value  of  historical  associations,  were  the  eter 
nal  theme  of  his  conversation ;  and  when  he  conde 
scended  to  woo  the  fair  Brazilian,  it  was  with  such  a 
patronising,  protecting  air;  such  an  evident  conscious 
ness  he  was  conferring,  rather  than  soliciting  honour, 
as  gave  a  death-blow  to  his  pretensions. 

"  I  will  not  be  wooed  as  the  lion  woos  his  bride," 
said  she  to  herself.  "  If  Don  Miguel  fancies  that  he 
is  about  to  confer  everlasting  honour  upon  my  family, 
by  wedding  the  lowly  American  maiden,  the  haughty 
cavalier  shall  find  himself  mistaken," 

Accordingly,  the  colonel's  attentions  were  so  coldly 
received,  that  he  chose  not  to  risk  a  formal  declara 
tion.  When  Inez's  engagement  to  Luis  was  publicly 
known,  his  haughty  spirit  suffered  a  pang  unfelt  before. 


. 

AN   EXPEDITION.  209 

To  have  yielded  the  palm  to  a  grandee  of  the  first 
rank  would  have  been  sufficiently  galling,  but  that  a 
Brazilian,  one  of  the  despised  Americans,  should  be 
preferred  to  him,  was  an  indignity  never  to  be  forgiven. 
While  the  other  officers  felicitated  Luis  on  his  success, 
be  brooded  in  secret  over  his  repulse,  and  determined 
to  seek  the  earliest  opportunity  for  a  quarrel  with  a 
rival  whom  he  hated  scarcely  more  than  he  despised. 

An  open  and  immediate  rupture,  without  any  plau 
sible  pretext,  would  have  discovered  the  extent  of  his 
late  hopes,  and  the  bitterness  and  shame  of  his  dis 
appointment.  He  resolved,  therefore,  to  wait  until 
some  turn  in  the  course  of  events  should  put  it  in  his 
power  to  punish  the  fair  object  of  his  resentment  by 
sacrificing  her  favoured  lover. 

While  Luis  was  enjoying  the  society  of  his  mistress, 
and  anticipating  the  hour  when  he  should  call  her  his 
own,  an  order  came  for  him  to  join  an  expedition, 
which  was  to  surprise  a  garrisoned  town  in  the  inte 
rior.  He  hastened  to  Inez,  to  communicate  this  un 
welcome  intelligence,  and  received  from  the  noble  girl 
her  own  miniature  and  a  charge,  delivered,  indeed,  with 
a  trembling  voice,  to  maintain  his  high  character,  and 
prove  himself  worthy  of  the  name  he  had  acquired  and 
the  affections  he  had  won. 

He  was  soon  on  the  march.  The  frequent  skir 
mishes  of  their  party  with  the  Guachos  soon  roused  him 
from  his  fond  reveries,  and  compelled  his  thoughts 
into  the  quick  action  which  must  ever  characterize  an 
enterprising  soldier. 

The  expedition  proved  successful,  and  Luis  found 


210  A    REVOLUTION. 

himself  among  the  number  who  were  detached  to  re 
main  and  garrison  the  town.  This  was  sufficiently 
vexatious,  but  his  vexation  was  increased  in  a  tenfold 
degree,  when  a  few  days  after  he  received  a  letter  from 
the  captain  of  the  port,  informing  him  that  Don  Pedro, 
the  Prince  of  Brazil,  had  declared  himself  emperor, 
and  the  country  over  which  he  had  been  left  regent 
an  independent  sovereignty,  calling  upon  all  the  true 
sons  of  Brazil  to  join  his  standard.  The  letter  pro 
ceeded  to  say  that  Monte  Video  had  declared  for  the 
emperor,  and  regretted  that  Luis  was  at  that  moment 
under  an  old  Portuguese  general,  whose  known  loyalty 
to  King  John  was  so  firm  as  to  preclude  the  possibility 
of  his  siding  with  the  native  Brazilians. 

Indeed,  it  had  been  the  case  throughout  the  country, 
that  those  officers  who  were  natives  of  Portugal  de 
clared  for  the  old  king,  while  the  natives  of  Brazil, 
soldiers  and  people,  were  unanimous  for  independence. 
Luis's  heart  was  with  them,  but  he  was  an  officer  in  a 
royal  garrison,  in  which  there  was  not  another  Brazil 
ian  who  held  a  commission.  The  event  which  he  had 
long  and  ardently  desired  had  arrived,  but  had  found 
him  completely  unprepared  to  enjoy  its  benefits  or 
share  in  its  glory.  What  made  it  still  worse,  was  his 
being  separated  from  his  beloved  Inez,  and  compelled 
to  take  part  in  hostilities  which  he  knew  would  imme 
diately4^  commenced  against  her  native  city.  The 
tumult  of  his  mind  may  be  imagined. 

His  regiment  was  soon  ordered  to  join  the  royal  forces 
which  were  to  besiege  Monte  Video.  He  took  up 
his  march  with  a  heavy  heart.  Many  were  the  mental 


LUIS   JOINS   DON    PEDRO.  211 

Struggles  and  debates  which  he  had,  as  to  the  course 
which  it  behoved  him  to  adopt,  but  considering  that 
his  natural  allegiance  to  his  country  was  stronger 
than  any  which  he  could  owe  to  the  King  of  Portugal, 
and,  moreover,  that  he  was  required  to  act  with  foreign 
ers  and  hirelings,  against  the  patriots  of  his  own  coun 
try,  and  among  them  his  dearest  personal  friends,  he 
resolved  to  join  the  Brazilians  on  the  first  opportunity. 

Nor  was  he  long  in  finding  it.  Arrived  before  the 
city,  he  was  detached  at  the  head  of  a  troop  of  cavalry 
to  attack  a  party  of  his  old  enemies,  the  Guachos,  who 
were  now  employed  by  the  Brazilians.  The  enemy  fled 
on  his  approach,  and  he  pursued  them  almost  to  the  city, 
when  perceiving  that  his  troop  was  principally  com 
posed  of  Brazilians,  he  ordered  them  to  halt,  and  ad 
dressed  them  in  a  manly  and  bold  harangue  in  favoir 
of  the  Prince  of  Brazil  and  independence ;  and  con 
cluded  with  waving  his  sword  and  shouting  "  Long 
live  Don  Pedro." 

It  was  a  piece  of  heroism  in  perfect  keeping  with 
his  ardent  character.  Few  men  would  have  been  will 
ing  to  risk  their  lives  upon  the  force  of  their  eloquence. 
But  Luis  could  not  bear  the  thoughts  of  stealing  out 
of  the  camp  like  a  common  deserter;  he  chose  to 
head  a  miniature  revolution. 

His  men  paused.  He  laid  bare  his  bosom,  and  call 
ed  out,  "  So  you  refuse  to  go  and  join  the  deliverers 
of  your  country.  Let  me,  then,  be  the  first  who  shall 
fall  in  its  defence.  Turn  your  swords  upon  a  Brazil 
ian  who  would  have  you  act  in  a  manner  worthy  of 
true  Brazilians."  la  an  instant  the  air  was  rent  with 


ENTRY    INTO    MONTE    VIDEO. 

shouts  of  "Don  Pedro  and  Independence,  forever/' 
A  white  flag  was  raised  upon  one  of  their  carbines, 
and  in  a  few  moments  the  troops  were  riding  at  full 
speed  through  the  streets  of  Monte  Video,  reiterating 
the  shout  which  had  restored  their  leader  to  freedom 
and  hope. 

The  people  caught  their  enthusiasm — they  were 
hailed  with  answering  shouts,  and  followed  by  a  mul 
titude  of  patriots.  White  handkerchiefs  were  waved 
from  the  balconies,  and  "bright  eyes  rained  influence"" 
upon  them,  as  they  passed  through  the  streets  to  the 
residence  of  the  commandant 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CAVING  disposed  of  his  troops, 
Luis  hastened  to  the  bou 
doir  of  his  mistress,  and 
received  a  welcome  dear 
er  to  his  heart  than  the 
brightest  awards  of  fame. 
The  fair  Inez  welcomed 
him  as  one  restored  to  life, 
and  accorded  the  fullest 
approbation  of  his  conduct 
in  abandoning  the  royal  party ;  honour  was  dearer  to 
that  noble-minded  lady  than  every  other  earthly  thing. 
She  had  understood  all  the  difficulties  of  his  late  situa 
tion,  and  had  participated  in  the  anxiety  and  suspense 
resulting  from  it.  She  had  trembled  at  the  peril  in 
which  he  had  been  placed,  of  being  lost  to  the  cause 
of  freedom,  as  well  as  to  herself;  for  she  was  a  patriot 
of  the  purest  stamp,  and  flattered  herself  that  not 
only  the  independence,  but  the  freedom  of  Brazil 
would  result  from  the  present  revolution.  This  fond 
anticipation  also  had  its  influence  on  Luis's  late  con 
duct.  The  evening  was  passed  in  recounting  the  fears 

213 


214  A    SALLY. 

and  forebodings  of  absence,  and  in  bright  anticipations 
of  the  future.  Luis  urged  his  suit  for  a  speedy  union, 
and  gained  a  full  consent  that  their  marriage  should  be 
consummated  as  soon  as  Inez's  parents  should  deem  it 
suitable  and  proper.  They  required  the  concurrence 
of  Luis's  parents,  who  had  already  been  apprized  of 
his  choice,  but  had  not  answered  his  letter. 

In  a  week  after  his  return  to  Monte  Video,  Luis  was 
intrusted  with  the  command  of  a  party  of  cavalry,  who 
were  to  dislodge  a  body  of  the  royalists  from  a  position 
which  they  had  taken  nearer  the  city  than  they  had 
hitherto  dared  to  approach.  He  was  finally  mounted, 
and  commanded  a  gallant  and  well  appointed  company, 
He  was  now  confident  that  he  had  at  length  embarked 
in  the  cause  of  liberty,  and  as,  in  passing  the  captain's 
residence,  he  received  a  parting  smile  of  encourage 
ment  from  the  lovely  and  patriotic  Inez,  who  had 
placed  herself  in  the  balcony  to  witness  her  hero's 
departure  on  his  first  sally  in  the  good  cause,  he  felt 
an  honest  exultation — a  gush  of  high  hope  and  warm 
enthusiasm,  such  as  they  only  know  who  attempt  great 
actions  under  high  and  virtuous  auspices. 

If  there  was  any  point  of  military  talent  on  which 
Luis  particularly  valued  himself,  it  was  leading  a  troop 
of  cavalry  to  the  charge.  In  this  he  had  always  been 
so  successful  as  to  render  his  name  a  terror  to  the 
Guachos  themselves. 

When  he  saw  the  enemy's  front  displayed,  so  as  to  ad 
mit  of  a  fair  trial  of  his  skill  and  courage,  he  counted  the 
day  his  own;  for  the  field  was  admirably  calculated 
for  the  manoeuvres  of  cavalry,  being,  as  is  indeed  the 


LUIS   TAKEN   PRISONER.  215 

\vhole  Banda  Oriental,  an  unbroken  plain,  with  scarce 
ly  a  rock  or  tree  for  hundreds  of  miles.  His  charge 
was  irresistible,  as  it  bad  often  proved  before ;  and  in 
five  minutes  after  the  battle  cry  of  "  Independence" 
sung  from  his  troop,  the  enemy  were  flying  in  every 
direction  over  the  plain,  so  that  he  had  only  to  give 
orders  to  pursue  the  fugitives  and  spare  the  fallen. 

A  considerable  body  of  the  enemy  were  retreating 
in  tolerable  order,  and  the  pursuit  of  these  he  deter 
mined  to  head  himself.     In  his  eagerness  to  complete 
the  victory,  by  making  prisoners  of  the  whole  of  this 
party,  he  was  drawn  much  nearer  the  main  body  of  the 
besieging  army  than  he  was  aware,  and  suddenly  found 
himself  intercepted  by  a  strong  reinforcement  of  the 
enemy,  who  had  thrown  themselves  between  his  party 
and  the  city.     There  remained  no  alternative  but  to 
cut  his  way  through  them.     Supported  by  a  small  but 
resolute   body  of  his  men,  among  whom  his  trusty 
Manuel  was  one ;  he  wheeled  and  made  a  desperate 
charge  upon  their  centre.     For  a  few  moments  the 
contest  was  doubtful.     Luis's  plume  was  shorn  away 
by  the  cut  of  a  broadsword;  the  shoulder  of  his  bridle- 
arm  was  divested  of  its  epaulette,  and  the  blood  which 
trickled  down  to  his  hand  as  he  reined  up  his  charger 
told  that  the  sword  of  some  adversary  had  found  its 
way  into  the  flesh.    At  length  he  had  broken  through, 
and  his  noble  steed  was  springing  forward  upon  the 
clear  plain,  when  a  string  of  balls,  thrown  by  a  Gua- 
cho,  wound  itself  round  the  animal's  legs,  and  horse 
and   rider  were  instantly  thrown  upon  the  ground. 
Being  completely  stunned  by  the  fall,  he  was  raised 


216  LUIS    A1SD    DA    COSTA. 

from  the  ground  in  a  state  of  insensibility,  thrown 
across  a  horse,  and  borne  into  the  enemy's  camp. 

"  Well  met,  Senor  Don  Luis  Pereira,"  said  Colonel 
Da  Costa,  as  he  entered  the  miserable  tant  where  our 
hero  was  stretched  upon  a  camp-bed,  scarcely  able  to 
move  from  the  bruises  which  he  had  received  in  his 
fall  the  preceding  day.  "  I  am  happy  to  see  you — I 
had  not  hoped  so  soon  to  welcome  in  the  Portuguese 
camp,  one  who  has  deserved  so  honourably  from  the 
royal  house  of  Braganza.  Methinks  your  accommoda 
tions  are  none  of  the  best,"  glancing  round  upon  the 
wretched  furniture  of  the  tent,  and  scowling  upon 
Manuel,  who,  being  permitted  to  attend  upon  his  mas 
ter,  was  busily  employed  in  one  corner,  removing  the 
stains  of  blood  and  dirt  from  his  uniform.  "  Our  gene 
ral  should  have  assigned  you  a  more  spacious  marquee 
and  a  numerous  train  of  attendance." 

This  was  said  with  a  darkened  smile  of  malignity, 
which  was  wont  to  curl  the  swarthy  features  of  Don 
Miguel,  when  his  eye  encountered  an  enemy  whom 
he  hated  and  despised. 

"Colonel  Da  Costa,"  replied  Luis,  "the  fortune  of 
war  has  brought  me  wounded  and  a  prisoner  to  your 
camp,  and  it  is  surely  unbecoming  an  officer  and  a  gen 
tleman  to  taunt  a  prostrate  enemy,  who  has  neither 
the  privilege  of  demanding  satisfaction,  nor  the  physi 
cal  power  to  defend  his  honour." 

"The  fortune  of  war!"  replied  the  colonel.  "  Say 
rather  the  judgment  of  Heaven,  upon  a  traitor — a 
cowardly  deserter  from  his  country  and  his  king.  It 
is  not  for  such  as  you,  sir,  to  claim  the  privileges  of  a 


LUIS    AND    DA   COSTA. 

-prisoner  x>f  war.  I  keep  no  terms  of  courtesy  with 
traitors." 

"Coward! — traitor  to  my  country!"  exclaimed 
Luis,  raising  himself  on  his  wretched  pallet;  his  eyes 
flashing  fire  upon  his  insulting  oppressor,  "  would  to 
Heaven  I  could  meet  you  in  a  fair  field,  to  prove  at  the 
sword's  point,  that  you  are  a  calumniator  and  a  villain. 
Don  Miguel,  you  know  that  it  was  devotion  to  my 
country's  cause  that  occasioned  my  abandonment  of 
the  royal  party.  My  allegiance  was  due  to  Brazil,  and 
not  to  the  house  of  Braganza." 

"  A  court  martial  will  settle  that  point,  my  brave 
young  patriot  We  are  too  much  engaged  to  try  you 
at  present,  and  you  are  to  be  sent  into  the  interior  for 
safe  keeping.  Peradventure  a  few  months'  imprison 
ment  will  cool  your  patriotic  ardour,  and  prepare  you 
to  make  an  edifying  exit  on  the  gallows.  The  gene 
ral  is  of  opinion  that  your  trial  should  take  place  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic." 

"  Pray  Heaven  I  may  die  upon  my  native  soil,"  si 
lently  ejaculated  Luis. 

"But  how  are  all  my  quondam  friends  in  the  city?" 
continued  his  persecutor.  "  How  is  the  fair  Inez  ? — 
she  will  be  a  mourning  turtle  dove  for  some  time  I 
fancy,  or  more  probably  will  solace  herself  with  the 
hand  of  some  more  prudent  patriot,  who  has  less  of 
the  spirit  of  knight-errantry  than  her  late  favourite, 
who  undertakes  the  vanquishing  of  whole  squadrons 
with  his  single  arm.  I  could  not  but  smile  to  see  how 
bravely  you  struggled  in  the  toils  we  had  prepared  for 
you,  yesterday.  But  the  lady  Inez — how  looked  her 
28  T 


218  LUIS    AND    DA    COSTA. 

smiles  when  you  parted  ? — was  she  as  fair  as  ever,  and 
as  light-hearted  ?  Trust  me,  Don  Luis,  your  lady-love 
is  already  weaving  garlands  for  another." 

"  Alas !"  exclaimed  Luis,  writhing  in  agony,  but  un 
able  to  rise  from  off  the  bed.  "I  see  how  it  is; — there 
is  a  cause  for  all  this  venom.  I  thought  it  strange  that 
you  should  hate  so  bitterly  the  mere  opponent  in  a 
revolution.  You  sought  her  hand  yourself; — I  half 
suspected  as  much  before ;  but  her  pure  soul  was  too 
high  to  be  reached  by  your  artifices ;  she  saw  through 
you — she  saw  what  I  now  see — that  the  haughty  Don 
Miguel,  with  all  his  high  pretensions  to  chivalry,  was 
mean  enough  to  insult  the  fallen  and  calumniate  the 
absent." 

"I  seek  her  hand? — I  ally  myself  with  a  Creole? 
Know,  sir,  that  I  despise  the  whole  race,  from  the  pal 
try  mercenaries  of  the  north,  to  the  wild  Guachos  of 
the  Pampas.  I  hate  you  for  your  attachment  to  this 
scoundrel  faction  which  seeks  to  dismember  the  king 
dom  of  Portugal.  I  hate  you  for  taking  part  with  the 
rabble,  against  all  that  is  ancient  and  respectable  in 
the  realm.  This  is  sufficient  cause  for  hatred  withput 
the  degrading  supposition  you  have  made ;  but  your 
cause  is  desperate.  If  those  who  maintain  their  alle 
giance  here,  are  not  strong  enough  to  put  down  this 
rebellion,  the  power  of  the  allied  sovereigns  of  Europe 
will  soon  settle  the  controversy ;  nor  will  your  neigh 
bours  fare  better.  There  are  negotiations  already 
on  foot,  between  the  court  of  France  and  the  leaders 
gf  the  Buenos  Ayrean  faction,  which  will  soon  send 
their  visionary  temple  of  liberty  tumbling  about  their 


LUIS   AND    DA   COSTA. 

ears.  The  age  of  republicanism,  like  that  of  chivalry, 
will  soon  be  recorded  among  the  popular  delusions 
that  have  passed  away;  and  reason  and  legitimate 
government  resume  the  undivided  empire  of  the  world." 
"  You  speak  like  a  minion  of  royalty,  Don  Miguel," 
replied  Luis ;  "  like  one  who  despises  a  power  which 
he  cannot  estimate — the  power  of  public  sentiment — 
the  common  sense  of  mankind.  You  are  blind  enough 
to  suppose  that  the  people  of  South  America,  at  whose 
fiat  their  government  must  stand  or  fall,  will  submit 
to  foreign  interference  or  to  any  species  of  despotism 
rather  than  their  native  leaders.  Be  assured  they  are 
too  well-informed  for  that.  You  have  not  the  beggars  of 
Lisbon,  nor  the  rabble  of  Vienna,  nor  the  stupid  boors 
of  Russia,  to  trample  upon  here.  No,  sir,  there  is 
light  amongst  us;  and  where  there  is  light,  there  will 
sooner  or  later  be  liberty.  The  civil  authorities  of 
Buenos  Ayres  may  prove  traitors — the  liberator  of 
Columbia  may  turn  tyrant,  and  our  own  sovereign, 
Don  Pedro,  may  refuse  to  grant  a  constitutional  govern 
ment  to  the  wishes  of  his  people,  but  ere  long  all  these 
fair  countries  will  be  free.  The  despotic  power,  which 
you  are  pleased  to  call  legitimate  government,  is  the 
production  of  an  age  of  feudal  barbarism,  hitherto 
supported  by  withholding  the  light  of  education  from 
the  people.  Ignorance  and  superstition  among  them, 
with  Machiavellism  and  priestcraft  among  their  op 
pressors,  are  the  supporters  of  your  social  order  in 
the  old  world.  A  different  state  of  things  on  this  side 
the  Atlantic  is  producing  a  different  result ;  and  the 


LUIS   AND   DA    COSTA. 

Holy  Alliance  will  soon  be  taught  to  respect  the  name 
of  American  liberty." 

"  Well,  sir,"  replied  Don  Miguel,  "  we  will  take  care 
that  you  shall  share  none  of  the  homage  yourself.  You 
will  have  to  expiate  the  crime  of  treason.  In  the 
mean  time,  prepare  yourself  for  a  journey  to  a  place 
of  security  in  the  interior." 

"  If,"  replied  Luis,  "  the  cause  to  which  I  am  de 
voted  requires  the  poor  sacrifice  of  rny  life,  I  am 
ready."  And  here  the  conference  closed. 


a 


$B&v&oBl&aU 


CHAPTER  V. 


CURING  the  remainder  of  the 
war,  Luis  was  kept  in 
close  confinement  in  the 
interior.  Garrison  after 
garrison  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Brazilians,  and  he 
was  removed  nearer  and 
nearer  to  Monte  Video,  at  each  retreat  of  the  Por 
tuguese.  The  vigilance  of  his  rival  was  such,  that  he 
was  never  trusted  in  a  place  which  was  in  immediate 
danger  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  patriots.  He 
heard  of  many  of  his  fellow-officers  who  had  recovered 
their  liberty  by  the  surrender  of  the  posts  at  which 
they  were  imprisoned ;  but  it  was  his  hard  fortune  to 
be  held  in  durance  to  the  latest  hour  of  the  war,  and 
when  the  last  remnant  of  the  Portuguese  troops  capitu 
lated,  on  condition  of  being  sent  to  Portugal  with  such 
of  their  prisoners  as  were  charged  with  desertion,  it 
w;is  Luis's  fate  to  be  included  among  those  prisoners. 

He  was  marched  through  the  streets  of  Monte  Video 

223 


224      LUIS  TO  BE  SENT  TO  PORTUGAL. 

— passed  the  very  residence  of  his  mistress — saw  her, 
pale  and  agitated,  watching  the  passage  of  the  prison 
ers,  and  scarcely  able  to  recognize  him,  but  for  the 
gesture  by  which  he  signified  to  her  that  all  was  lost. 

He  was  taken  on  board  a  brig  belonging  to  Boston, 
which  had  been  chartered  by  the  Brazilian  government, 
to  take  the  last  garrison  of  the  old  Portuguese  to  their 
native  country,  and  such  was  the  vigilance  with  which 
he  was  guarded,  that  there  was  little  prospect  of  his 
being  able  to  effect  his  escape  to  the  shore,  before  the 
vessel  would  sail.  He  well  knew  that  there  were 
friends  in  Monte  Video,  who  would  secret  him  till  his 
enemies  were  gone,  if  he  could  but  escape  from  the 
vessel ;  and  he  knew  also  that  if  he  were  detained  on 
board  till  the  vessel  was  fairly  out  at  sea,  his  prospect 
was  gloomy  indeed,  for  he  had  little  mercy  to  expect 
in  Portugal,  even  if  the  influence  of  his  rival  were  not 
exerted  against  him,  and  with  this,  his  case  was  indeed 
hopeless. 

As  he  was  sitting  alone  in  the  cabin  one  evening, 
reflecting  on  the  severity  of  his  fortune,  he  was  sur 
prised  to  hear  his  name  uttered  in  a  low  voice,  by 
some  one  in  the  steerage.  He  advanced  towards  the 
steerage,  and  answered  in  the  same  tone. 

"Come  in  here,"  said  the  same  voice  in  good  Portu 
guese,  "  I  wish  to  converse  with  you,  where  we  shall 
not  be  observed." 

Luis  entered  the  place  without  hesitation,  and  found 
it  occupied  by  a  young  man  whose  countenance  had 
almost  tempted  him  to  seek  his  assistance,  as  he  had 
observed  him  giving  orders  about  the  vessel.  Indeed 


.. 
FREDERICK    ROSS. 

**' 

there  was  something  in  the  open,  honest,  careless  face 
and  chivalrous  bearing  of  Frederick  Ross,  which 
seemed  to  invite  the  distressed  to  trust  to  his  protec 
tion.  He  was  the  mate  of  the  brig  to  which  our  Jiero 
had  been  consigned,  and  having  learnt  the  particulars 
of  his  story  on  shore,  and  Witnessed  the  strong  interest 
excited  in  his  favour  among  the  inhabitants  of  Monte 
Video,  had  determined  to  attempt  his  rescue.  This 
was  no  very  easy  matter;  for,  in  the  first  place,  he 
4ared  not  ask  the  concurrence  of  the  captain  of  the 
brig,  as  he  knew  that  any  connivance  at  such  a  pro 
ceeding  on  his  part  would  have  been  ruinous  to  him, 
if  suspected  by  his  employers.  Moreover,  the  Portu 
guese  being  permitted  to  retain  their  arms,  had  their 
sentinels  posted  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  prisoners, 
who,  indeed,  were  permitted  to  walk  about  the  deck, 
but  were  watched  with  all  the  vigilance  that  hatred 
and  jealousy  could  insure.  f 

Frederick,  by  no  means  disheartened  by  the  diffi 
culty  of  the  undertaking,  had  concerted  his  measures, 
and  now  briefly  communicated  them  to  I^uis,  who  it 
may  readily  be  supposed  was  not  backward  in  promis 
ing  to  execute  his  part  of  the  enterprise.  "  But  how 
is  this?"  exclamed  he;  "To  what  am  I  indebted  for 
the  lively  interest  you  take  in  my  affairs?" 

"  We  Americans  of  the  north,"  said  Frederick, 
"  always  give  our  hearts  to  the  cause  of  independence. 
Besides,  I  understand  there  is  a  lady  in  the  case,  and 
I  thought  it  would  be  a  pity  that  she  should  never  see 
you  again,  after  having  proved  constant  to  yon  so  long." 

Lms  blushed  as  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  purse 


226  PARTING   SERENADE. 

heavy  with  doubloons,  which  he  had  been  permitted 
to  receive  from  his  father,  during  his  imprisonment. 

"  You  will  surely  allow  me  to  make  you  this  trifling 
acknowledgment  of  the  favour  you  intend  me." 

"  No,  I  thank  you,"  said  Frederick,  "  the  people  of 
my  country  don't  sell  services  of  this  sort.  I  shall 
be  richly  repaid  here,"  he  continued,  striking  his  breast, 
"if  we  succeed;"  and  he  hurried  away,  leaving  his 
protegS  to  find  his  way  back  to  the  cabin. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  after  this  conference, 
the  captain  of  the  vessel  was  on  shore ;  the  sentinels 
were  pacing  the  deck  as  usual ;  Luis  was  sitting  on 
the  quarter-deck,  inhaling  the  evening  breeze;  Fre 
derick  was  engaged  in  his  duties  about  the  vessel,  and 
several  of  the  Portuguese  officers  were  walking  with 
cigars  in  their  mouths  as  usual,  and  conversing  with 
unusual  liveliness  about  their  anticipated  return  to 
Lisbon. 

Their  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  sound  of 
music  proceeding  from  a  boat  near  the  bow  of  the 
vessel.  It  was  a  sweet  female  voice,  accompanied  by 
the  guitar,  and  the  style  and  execution  were  such  as  to 
hush  every  sound  on  board,  and  draw  the  attention  of 
every  one  to  the  spot  whence  the  music  proceeded. 
The  officers  went  forward  and  leaned  over  the  railing, 
vainly  endeavouring  to  distinguish  the  persons  in  the 
serenading  boat,  and  mutually  rallying  each  other  for 
being  about  to  desert  such  a  siren  on  quitting  the  New 
World.  The  sailors  suspended  their  usual  occupa 
tions,  and  sat  motionless,  some  aloft  and  some  below. 
The  very  sentinels  forgot  their  duty  at  the  gush  of 


LUIS  ESCAPES.  221 

jhose  sweet  sounds,  and  stood  motionless,  gazing  to 
wards  the  little  skiff  of  the  songstress. 

Luis  was  left  alone  on  the  quarter-deck.  When  all 
fvere  intent  on  the  music,  Frederick  passed  near  him 
and  whispered,  "Now  look  out;  now  be  firm  and 
resolute." 

"  Trust  me  for  that !"   replied  Luis. 

Suddenly  a  boat,  urged  by  six  rowers  with  muffled 
oars,  shot  along  under  the  stern,  and  Luis  made  but 
one  spring  from  the  quarter-deck  into  her.  The  noise 
and  his  disappearance  alarmed  the  nearest  sentinel, 
who  fired  upon  the  boat,  and  in  an  instant  all  was  con 
fusion  on  the  vessel's  deck ;  the  Portuguese  officers 
swearing  at  the  sentinels  and  ordering  instant  pursuit ; 
Frederick  bustling  about,  and  pretending  to  comply 
with  their  wishes  by  directing  his  seamen  to  man  the 
boat ;  the  soldiers  preparing  to  embark,  and  tumbling 
over  each  other  in  their  haste  to  get  into  the  yawl, 
which,  after  considerable  delay  and  much  vociferation, 
was  lowered  from  the  stern  and  brought  alongside. 

It  may  readily  be  supposed  that  the  time  thus  lost, 
by  Frederick's  contriving  to  delay  their  operations, 
while  he  appeared  to  hasten  them,  was  employed  by 
the  fugitives;  and  that  long  before  the  brig's  yawl  was 
manned  and  on  her  way,  the  other  boat  was  beyond 
the  reach  of  pursuit. 

The  fair  musician  was  completely  forgotten  amidst 
the  bustle.  Indeed  the  first  discharge  of  muskets  si 
lenced  her,  and  when  the  officers  had  done  all  that 
lay  in  their  power  to  recover  their  lost  captive,  and 
were  at  leisure  to  return  to  the  amusement  which  had 


228  \     LUIS'S    MARRIAGE. 


been  so  unexpectedly  interrupted,  her  boat  was  no* 
where  to  be  seen  ;  it  had  disappeared  among  the  nu 
merous  fishing  boats  and  pleasure  barges  which  were 
continually  gliding  about  the  harbour. 

When  the  sun  rose  the  next  morning,  the  brig  had 
left  the  harbour,  and  ere  he  had  set,  Luis  was  united 
to  his  own  Inez,  in  the  presence  of  a  splendid  assem 
blage  of  his  patriotic  friends. 

Reader  —  If  you  should  ever  go  to  Rio  Janeiro,  I 
entreat  you  to  take  a  ride  out  to  the  valley  of  St.  Cris- 
toval,  and  call  at  the  beautiful  white-walled  country 
seat,  which  is  the  residence  of  my  friend  Colonel  Don 
Luis  Pereira  —  tell  him  you  are  an  American  from  the 
north,  and  he  will  welcome  you  with  a  cordial  pressure 
of  the  hand,  and  introduce  you  to  the  fair  Inez  and  a 
group  of  laughing  children,  and  will  tell  you  the  story 
of  his  escape  from  the  brig,  glancing  rather  expres 
sively  at  his  wife  when  he  mentions  that  swe«t  sev<*- 
nade. 


u 


PEDRO  AND  CONCHITA. 


231 


» 


w ' 

•i^A  0.1U.31 


I 


CHAPTER  I. 

,EDRO  SANCHES  was  the 
son  of  a  Montero,  who 
lived  in  a  cottage  among 
the  Camarioca  hills,  a 
few  leagues  from  Ma- 
tanzas. 

The  old  man  owned  a 
small  pasture,  half  a 
dozen  mules,  and  as  many  oxen,  and  with  the  profits 
of  their  labour  in  conveying  sugar,  coffee,  and  molas 
ses  from  the  neighbouring  estates  to  the  port,  and  the 
produce  of  a  corn-field  and  a  patch  of  plantains,  he 
made  a  shift  to  live  very  comfortably. 

Pedro  was  a  youth  of  uncommon  parts.     He  could 
say  the  Lord's  Prayer  not  only  in  Latin,  but  in  elegant 
30  u  2  233 


234  PEDRO   8ANCHES. 

. 

Creole  Spanish;  and  the  Padre  had  taught  him  to 
write  and  cipher — so  that  he  was,  in  fact,  a  very  pro 
digy  of  learning.  But  Pedro  was  not  vain  of  his 
vast  acquirements,  and  though  he  was  such  a  famous 
literary  character,  there  was  nothing  blue  about  him. 
He  made  so  little  display  of  his  attainments,  that  if 
his  instructor  had  not  taken  care  to  spread  his  fame 
throughout  the  district,  nobody  would  ever  have 
dreamed  that  Pedro  was  any  wiser  than  his  neighbours. 

He  led  a  very  easy  sort  of  life  of  it;  his  father 
wisely  judging  that  such  a  wonderful  genius  should  by 
no  manner  of  means  be  required  to  follow  any  useful 
occupation.  He  used  to  rise  early  in  the  morning,  and 
go  a  fishing  in  the  river  that  ran  through  his  father's 
pasture,  or  shooting  at  the  birds  in  the  forest  beyond 
it.  It  is  true  he  was  seldom  known  to  hit  any  of  them ; 
but  he  was  in  fact  a  most  indefatigable  shooter,  and 
cost  his  father  better  than  a  doubloon  a  year  in  pow 
der  and  shot.  He  generally  reposed  through  all  the 
heat  of  the  day,  in  a  Campeachy  hammock,  suspended 
in  the  piazza,  in  front  of  the  cottage.  He  would 
swing  himself  for  hours  together,  puffing  away  very 
calmly  at  his  cigar,  and  watching  the  operations  of 
his  father,  as  he  mended  a  wheel  of  his  cart,  or  over 
seeing  and  directing  his  mother  as  she  cut  up  a  pig,  or 
made  a  pot  of  sweetmeats;  for  Pedro  had  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  theory  of  useful  employment;  though, 
to  tell  the  truth,  he  did  not  care  a  fig  about  the 
practice. 

In  the  evening,  if  there  was  no  dance  in  the  neigh 
bouring  village,  he  used  to  take  his  guitar,  and  go  ovei 


PEDRO    SANCHES.  235 

to  the  estate  of  Don  Francisco  Zamora,  and  serenade 
his  only  daughter,  the  adorable  Conchita,  whose  black 
eyes,  slender  feet,  and  clear  brown  complexion  ren 
dered  her  decidedly  the  belle  of  the  district. 

On  Sundays,  Pedro  went  piously  to  mass  in  the 
parish  church,  and  afterwards  attended  the  cock-fight, 
which  invariably  took  place  at  the  cock-pit  on  the 
green,  in  front  of  the  church,  as  soon  as  divine  service 
was  over;  and  the  good  Padre  always  gave  his  attend 
ance,  merely  by  way  of  countenancing  innocent 
amusements. 

Whenever  there  was  a  grand  frolic  among  the  Mon- 
teros,  Pedro  was  sure  to  be  master  of  ceremonies. 
He  engaged  the  guitar  players,  provided  the  red  wine, 
the  sweetmeats  and  cigars,  and  always  made  a  point 
of  opening  the  ball  by  leading  out  his  favourite  GOJ-- 
chita,  and  performing  that  free  and  easy,  double  shuffle 
sort  of  dance  called  the  Zapatero,  because  it  brings 
in  such  abundance  of  employment  to  that  useful  and 
respectable  class  of  citizens,  the  shoemakers. 

He  was  such  a  careless,  good-natured  soul,  that  al 
though  he  was  a  perfect  Lothario  among  the  country 
fair  ones,  the  other  Monteros  were  never  jealous  of 
his  popularity.  He  never  got  into  a  brawl  about  danc 
ing  with  any  of  the  village  beauties  whom  he  took  a 
fancy  to  lead  out  on  these  occasions ;  and  although  he 
wore  his  dirk  in  his  bosom,  like  an  honourable  and  pru 
dent  young  man,  yet  he  was  never  known  to  draw  it 
in  anger,  except  upon  one  occasion,  when  he  heard  his 
father  abused ;  and  even  then  he  did  not  use  the  point, 
probably  from  his  having  found  out  in  the  course  of  his 


236  PEDRO'S  VISIT  TO  MATANZAS. 

learned  researches,  that  a  puncture  is  worse  than  a  cut, 
but  he  contented  himself  with  merely  slicing  off  the 
reviler's  right  cheek,  and  a  moiety  of  his  ear. 

But  Pedro's  dirk  served  him  on  a  great  many  good- 
natured  and  peaceful  occasions.  It  answered  very 
cleverly  the  purpose  of  cutting  up  an  orange  or  pine 
apple  ;  and  after  taking  his  morning  regale  of  fruit,  he 
has  frequently  been  observed  to  sit  a  whole  day  in  the 
shade,  amusing  himself  with  carving  the  end  of  a  staff, 
made  of  a  sprig  of  orange-tree,  into  a  rude  resemblance 
of  a  negro's  head. 

Pedro's  father  had  long  promised  him  the  privilege 
of  spending  the  Christmas  holidays  at  Matanzas.  But 
it  had  been  put  off  from  year  to  year,  till  the  youth 
was  eighteen  years  old.  Pedro  was  not  content  with 
permission  to  go  to  town,  on  some  marketing  errand, 
in  his  every-day  clothes,  and  spend  a  few  dollars  in 
claret  and  segars.  He  was  for  going  in  style,  and  at 
last  his  wish  was  gratified. 

On  the  evening  of  the  24th  of  December,  182-,  old 
Don  Felipe  Sanches  came  home  from  the  city,  and 
taking  a  bundle  from  his  cart,  produced  the  long  de 
sired  equipments  of  his  hopeful  son. 

They  were  in  the  genuine  Montero  style,  the  legiti 
mate  costume  of  the  yeomanry  of  Cuba. — First  came 
a  suit  of  clothes,  consisting  of  a  frock  and  pantaloons 
of  blue  and  white  linen  check ;  the  frock,  which  re 
sembled  that  of  a  truckman,  being  furnished  with  a 
collar,  and  ornamented  with  a  beautiful  frill  of  the  same 
material.  A  vest  was  neither  required  by  the  climate 
nor  the  fashion,  and  a  shirt  was  utterly  superfluous, 


HIS   EQUIPMENTS.  237 

since  the  ruffle  was  attached  to  the  frock.  Then  there 
was  a  broad  chip  hat,  yellow  leather  shoes,  spurs  of 
solid  silver,  a  gold  button  for  the  collar,  and,  though 
last  not  least,  in  the  estimation  of  its  delighted  posses 
sor,  a  splendid  machete,  or  long  straight  sword.  It 
was  in  the  richest  style.  Its  scabbard  was  ornamented 
with  red  morroco ;  the  hilt  was  of  silver,  and  on  the 
guard,  in  relief  of  gold,  was  a  head  of  the  wise  and 
illustrious  Ferdinand  the  Seventh,  the  paragon  of  le 
gitimate  sovereigns. 

It  will  readily  be  imagined  that  this  precious  impor 
tation  gave  our  hero  no  small  satisfaction.  He  had 
been  looking  out  for  his  father  all  day ;  and  in  the  im 
patience  of  his  heart,  be  had  smoked  out  thirty-three 
cigars,  it  never  having  entered  into  his  imagination 
that  there  was  any  more  active  occupation  which  would 
serve  to  beguile  the  time. 

He  instantly  arrayed  himself  in  his  new  dress;  attach 
ed  his  silver  spurs  to  the  yellow  shoes,  fastened  his 
collar  with  the  gold  button,  girded  on  the  loyal  sword, 
and  drew  it  forth  with  a  most  valorous  swing,  to  the 
imminent  danger  of  his  father's  long  nose,  as  he  stood 
rapt  in  admiration  of  the  chivalrous  appearance  of  this 
hopeful  sprig  of  the  family. 

"Bring  me  my  horse,  Manuel,"  said  Pedro,  ad 
dressing  himself  to  the  slave,  who  was  the  factotum 
of  the  establishment.  "  I  will  set  forth  this  evening, 
and  attend  mass  in  the  city,  at  midnight" 

"  O  !  the  pious  soul/'  exclaimed  his  mother. 

"  O  !  the  brave  boy,"  cried  his  father. 

The  horse  was  speedily  brought  out,  and  arrayed 


238 


PEDRO    BEGINS   HIS   JOURNEY. 


in  his  gayest  equipments.  These  consisted  of,  first,  an 
enormous  saddle,  of  a  square  shape,  with  respect  to  its 
external  boundaries  of  length  and  breadth ;  but  with 
regard  to  thickness,  stuffed  out  into  the  most  comfort 
able  and  cushionlike  rotundity.  It  was  moreover 
agreeably  adorned  and  diversified  with  sundry  devices 
in  the  arabesque  style,  executed  in  red  and  yellow  mo 
rocco.  Then  there  was  a  bridle,  with  separate  reins 
of  red  worsted,  ornamented  with  tassels,  and  furnished 
instead  of  bits,  with  a  cabason,  a  semicircular  iron, 
buckled  to  the  horse's  nose,  and  accommodated  with 
rings,  to  which  the  reins  were  attached. 

Before  setting  out,  Pedro  received  some  wise  cau 
tions  from  his  father,  to  which,  as  they  were  accom 
panied  with  a  handful  of  doubloons,  he  paid  the  most 
dutiful  attention.  He  then  repeated  for  the  fiftieth 
time,  an  injunction  to  his  mother,  to  take  care  that 
certain  young  game-cocks,  which  he  was  training  up, 
should  not  suffer  by  his  absence,  and  mounting  his 
horse,  rode  off  with  a  simple  "  Adios"  in  answer  to 
the  voluble  benedictions  and  farewells  of  the  old 
couple. 


CHAPTER  II. 

T  was  a  still  moonlight  even 
ing.  Pedro  was  in  pretty 
considerable  good  spirits; 
he  rode  gayly  along — now 
thinking  of  the  holyday 
sports  which  were  await 
ing  him  in  town — now 
singing  the  praises  of  his  mistress,  the  delectable  Con- 
chita,  or  the  virtues  of  his  horse,  Mascurino,  in  that 
charming  melody  which  is  universally  sung  by  the  cart 
ers,  drovers  and  other  peasantry  of  Cuba,  and  which, 
from  its  close  resemblance  to  the  shrieks  of  an  urchin 
suffering  under  the  birch,  is  called  the  Llanto>  or  cry 
ing  song. 

He  continued  his  merry  course  for  more  than  three 
hours,  till  he  had  exhausted  all  the  verses  of  the  Llanto 
which  he  had  ever  learned ;  all  that  belong  to  this 
famous  national  air  having  never  come  to  the  know 
ledge  of  any  one,  or  probably  any  ten  men,  as,  like  the 
national  song  of  the  Yankees,  it  is  interminable. 

His  spirits  now  began  to  flag,  and  he  felt  an  inde 
finable  sort  of  dread  come  over  him,  as  he  gradually 

239 


240  PEDRO'S  PRUDENCE. 

descended  into  a  deep  and  narrow  ravine  from  which 
the  shadow  of  the  hills,  covered  with  thick  trees,  com 
pletely  excluded  the  moonlight.  All  was  still.  Pedro 
suffered  his  horse  to  choose  a  path  for  himself  among 
the  rocks  which  were  scattered  over  the  bed  of  a  dried 
up  torrent.  As  he  ascended  the  opposite  acclivity, 
he  observed  a  dark  object,  moving  slowly  along  just 
before  him.  He  pulled  up  his  reins,  and  came  to  a 
stand.  The  object  also  ceased  to  move.  This  seemed 
rather  mysterious.  Pedro  began  to  think  of  ghosts; 
and  as  he  had  always  professed  a  great  curiosity  to 
s?e  one,  he  felt  in  honour  bound  not  to  flinch  from  a 
first  encounter.  He  therefore  put  forward  a  little 
quicker,  and  came  near  enough  to  perceive  that  the 
object  of  his  suspicions  was  mounted  and  making  its 
way  up  the  hill  on  the  back  of  a  mule. 

"Who  ever  heard  of  a  ghost  on  horseback?"  said 
Pedro  to  himself.  "  This  is  no  ghost,  surely;  but 
perhaps  some  honest  gentleman,  who  has  supped  a 
little  too  much  red  wine  at  the  last  inn,  and  is  taking  a 
comfortable  snooze  as  he  passes  through  the  valley." 

The  figure,  in  fact,  was  strangely  doubled  up,  no 
head  or  cap  being  visible.  Pedro,  with  the  habitual 
caution  of  his  countrymen,  did  not  venture  very  near 
his  unlooked-for  companion,  for  fear  of  some  treachery. 
"  If  he  be  asleep,  I'll  wake  him  up ;  and  lest  he  should 
only  pretend  to  be  so,  I'll  keep  my  distance.  Cavalr 
lero  !  Como  esta  listed?" 

No  answer. 

Pedro  raised  his  voice  and  addressed  him  with  an- 


HIS    VALOVR.  $41 

.other  of  the  salutations  with  which  the  Spanish  lan 
guage  abounds — "  Vaya  usted  con  Dios,  Senor  /" 

No  answer  still.  The  traveller  kept  doggedly  on, 
without  speaking  or  raising  his  head.  Pedro's  pa 
tience  was  completely  exhausted — his  Spanish  honour 
was  insulted — his  West  Indian  blood  was  up.  "Have 
at  you,  miscreant!"  he  exclaimed,  drawing  his  loyal 
machete.  "  You  are  neither  a  Christian  nor  a  gentle 
man,  or  you  would  return  a  civil  answer  to  a  civil 
salutation." 

Tiiis  speech  was  accompanied  with  a  furious  slash, 
which,  missing  the  rider,  came  across  the  haunches  of 
the  mule,  who  instantly  set  off  at  full  speed,  and  dis 
appeared  like  lightning  through  the  dark  pathway. 
But  Pedro  was  not  so  to  be  balked.  He  clapped 
spurs  to  his  horse  and  followed  in  full  chase,  calling 
upon  all  the  saints  to  assist  him  in  avenging  the  insult. 
He  soon  fancied  himself  close  to  his  enemy,  and  made 
two  or  three  desperate  strokes  in  the  dark,  which  only 
cleft  the  air,  or  severed  a  few  tendrils  of  some  para 
site  plants,  hanging  over  the  road  from  a  tall  cotton 
tree. 

On  they  went  in  the  darkness;  the  pursuer  close  in 
rear  of  the  fugitive,  the  forest  ringing  with  the  clatter 
ing  of  hoofs  and  the  loud  imprecations  of  Pedro,  till 
arriving  at  the  summit  of  a  hill,  they  suddenly  emerged 
from  the  forest,  and  the  clear  moonlight  revealed  to  our 
astonished  hero,  not  a  grim  robber  or  midnight  assas 
sin,  but  a  sorry  mule,  loaded  with  a  heap  of  band  boxes 
and  cloaks. 

31  X 


M  AT  AN  Z  AS. 

f 

Pedro  stopped  his  horse,  and  let  the  mule  escape. 
He  was  too  much  fatigued  to  follow,  overtake  him,  and 
examine  his  load,  and  rather  too  much  chagrined  to 
enjoy  a  hearty  laugh  at  his  own  mistake.  "  I'll  say 
nothing  ahout  it,"  said  he.  Upon  second  thought, 
however,  he  amended  this  resolution.  "  I'll  tell  the 
story  to  the  Padre,  but  not  to  Conchita." 

Pedro  passed  through  another  dark  valley,  without 
encountering  any  new  adventures ;  and  on  ascending 
the  next  eminence,  the  port  of  Matanzas,  with  its 
ampitheatre  of  hills,  its  white  houses,  simple  bridges, 
and  small  fleet  of  merchantmen,  lay  before  him  in  all 
the  loveliness  and  repose  of  tropical  moonlight.  His 
provoking  adventure  was  instantly  forgotten;  and,  in 
spired  with  the  influence  of  the  soft  landscape,  he  gayly 
cantered  along,  passed  the  redoubtable  fort  of  the  Ca- 
minar,  frowning  in  all  the  terrors  of  rusty  ordnance 
and  deserted  ramparts  on  the  vain  threats  of  Colombian 
and  Mexican  prowess.  He  passed  the  Eastern  bridge 
and  the  port  of  the  Custom  House,  just  as  the  clock 
struck  half-past  eleven.  The  officers  of  the  small 
garrison  stationed  there  were  just  coming  out  of  the 
gates,  in  full  uniform,  and  the  streets  were  alive  with 
a  mixed  multitude  of  ladies  and  cavaliers,  planters, 
herdsmen,  and  mule-drivers,  all  moving  towards  the 
church.  Pedro  left  his  horse  at  an  inn,  and  hastened 
to  join  them.  When  mass  was  over  he  retired  to  his 
inn  for  the  night 


244 


CHAPTER  III. 


IEDRO  did  not  wake  next 
morning  till  after  sun 
rise.  A  shrill  voice 
was  bawling  out  some 
unintelligible  cries  un 
der  his  window.  He 
rose  and  observed  a 
boy  mounted  on  a 
mule,  loaded  with  green  stalks  of  maize,  and  screaming 
out  lustily,  Malaxo!*  This  served  to  remind  him 
that  his  horse  must  be  carefully  fed  with  this  and  the 
ripe  corn,  and  moreover  that  he  must  attend  to  it  per 
sonally.  He  called  to  the  boy,  who  instantly  turned 
and  rode  through  the  front  apartment  of  the  house 
into  the  court,  and  by  the  time  Pedro  was  dressed  and 
had  found  his  way  out  of  his  apartment,  the  fellow 
had  unloaded  his  mule,  and  was  waiting  for  his  pav. 
When  he  was  satisfied,  and  a  negro  of  the  inn  had  fed 
his  steed  from  this  supply,  Pedro  sallied  forth  to  see 
the  lions. 

*  Malaxo  \»  the  stalk  and  leave*  of  green  maize. 


216  LEARNING    TO    TLAY. 

The  first  thing  that  attracted  his  attention,  was  a 
billiard-room,  where  a  party  of  young  men  were  al 
ready  engaged  in  this  favourite  game  of  the  West 
Indians.  Pedro  was  no  adept  at  this — it  being  an 
amusement  principally  confir.ed  to  the  city.  As  he  ap 
peared  to  regard  the  players  with  considerable  interest, 
a  very  civil  spoken  young  gentleman,  in  a  dashing 
dress,  with  dark  mustachios,  and  a  profusion  of  watch- 
seals,  came  up  to  him  when  the  game  was  out,  inviting 
him  to  play,  and  as  he  professed  ignorance  of  the 
game,  kindly  undertook  to  instruct  him.  Pedro  thought 
it  was  vastly  civil,  and  could  not  find  in  his  heart  to 
refuse  so  generous  an  offer.  The  bets  were*  low  at 
first,  and  Pedro,  not  a  little  to  his  own  surprise,  won, 
more  than  half  the  time. 

"  Suppose  we  play  for  half  an  ounce,"  said  the  gentle 
man,  when  they  had  amused  themselves  an  hour  or  so. 
"  Just  as  you  please,"  answered  Pedro.  They  accord 
ingly  played,  and  he  lost. 

"  Once  more,"  said  he,  in  hopes  of  recovering  his 
money.  He  lost  again,  and  as  he  handed  the  gold  to 
his  good  friend,  happening  to  glance  towards  the  bench 
where  the  rest  of  the  party  were  quietly  smoking  and 
looking  on,  he  observed  a  broad  grin  on  every  one  of 
their  swarthy  visages.  Suspecting  that  he  had  been 
cozened,  he  quietly  laid  his  cue  on  the  table,  and  bow 
ing  with  the  grace  which  distinguishes  even  a  peasant 
of  Cuba,  he  coolly  wished  them  a  very  good  morning, 
and  walked  off. 

"Bought  wit,"  said  Pedro,  when  he  was  out  of 
hearing,  "  is  better  than  thought  wit.  I'll  keep  clear 


THE   COCKPIT.  24'* 

of  these  billiard-rooms,  till  I  am  as  good  a  player  as 
the  best  of  them." 

He  strolled  through  the  streets  in  rather  bad  hu 
mour,  kicked  over  a  little  negro  boy  who  was  seated 
on  the  steps  of  a  large  mansion,  quietly  chewing  the 
end  of  a  bit  of  sugar  cane,  and  at  last  fell  into  a  pro 
found  revery  on  the  doctrine  of  chances.  In  the 
midst  of  his  cogitations,  he  was  interrupted  by  a  loud 
shout  from  a  building  on  his  left,  as  he  approached  the 
quay.  He  entered  it,  and  was  delighted  to  find  it  an 
immense  circular  cockpit,  furnished  with  rows  of  seats 
rising  one  above  the  other,  as  they  receded  from  the 
centre,  and  filled  with  a  mixed  multitude  of  Monteros, 
cits,  soldiers,  sailors,  mulattoes,  and  even  women,  all 
expressing  the  liveliest  interest  in  the  combats,  and 
shouting  at  every  turn  of  fortune.  A  lucky  hit,  a 
severe  wound,  drew  from  the  friends  of  the  success 
ful  champion,  loud  challenges  to  raise  the  stakes. 
"  Five  to  one" — "  A  doubloon  to  a  dollar,  on  the  black 
cock,"  shouted  a  dozen  voices,  just  as  Pedro  entered, 
the  black  cock  having  just  struck  out  his  antagonist's 
eye. 

Pedro  was  quite  an  amateur,  one  of  the  cognoscenti 
in  these  matters.  He  had  not  attended  a  thousand 
Sundays  at  the  village  green  for  nothing.  He  was  up 
to  all  the  niceties  of  the  art,  and  skilfully  threw  in  his 
separate  bet  upon  every  turn  of  luck,  and  every  mani 
festation  of  fresh  courage  in  the  contest.  But  some 
how  it  happened  that  all  his  knowledge  availed  him 
nothing.  Fortune,  the  wayward  goddess  who  pre- 
Bides  on  these  occasions,  seemed  to  have  taken  a  miff 


248  THE    JAIL. 

against  him,  and  he  had  the  mortification  to  see  a  Yan 
kee  sailor,  evidently  a  complete  novice  in  the  business^ 
who  bet  without  knowing  a  prime  Principe  game-cock 
from  a  mere  barn-fowl,  pocket  half  a  dozen  doubloons 
during  the  forenoon,  while  he  lost  half  as  many  himself. 
He  sallied  forth  from  the  cockpit,  in  worse  humour 
than  ever,  and  strolled  through  the  Calle  de  Medio  to 
the  Governor's  Square,  to  inhale  the  fresh  breeze  and 
forget  his  bad  luck.  He  passed  along  by  the  jail,  which 
is  placed  on  one  side  of  the  square,  and  in  full  view  of 
the  pleasure-grounds,  probably  with  a  view  to  remind 
the  criminals  of  the  forfeited  blessings  of  liberty,  and 
the  gay  cavaliers  who  take  their  walks  here,  of  the 
spendthrift's  destiny.  A  group  of  captives  were  gaz 
ing  from  a  large  grated  window,  some  of  them  seated 
and  some  standing,  and  holding  on  by  the  gratings. 
Some  appeared  to  be  impatient  of  restraint;  their 
dark  eyes  gleamed  with  malignant  passion ;  others 
were  sunk  in  dejection,  and  others  were  attempting 
by  their  complaints  and  gestures  to  excite  pity  in  the 
passengers.  All  were  as  completely  indifferent  to  the 
public  exposure  of  their  wretchedness  as  the  sentinel 
who  was  sullenly  pacing  to  and  fro  in  front  of  the 
prison.  As  Pedro  passed  by,  his  eye  caught  that  of 
ene  of  the  prisoners  whom  he  recollected  to  have  seen 
before.  Advancing  towards  the  window,  which  was 
nearly  on  a  level  with  the  street,  he  recognised  the 
gentleman  who  had  so  politely  instructed  him  in  the 
game  of  billiards,  and  who  having  been  detected  in 
cheating,  since  Pedro  had  parted  with  him,  had  been 


AN    OLD   ACQUAINTANCE.  249 

summarily  lodged  in  the  jail,  to  await  the  tardy  move 
ment  of  Spanish  justice. 

Pedro  took  off  his  hat,  and  bowing  with  an  air  of  pro 
found  deference,  accosted  him  —  "  How  do  you  do, 
senor?  Upon  my  honour  I  am  extremely  happy  to 
see  you.  It  does  my  heart  good  to  find  that  the  go 
vernor  of  this  loyal  city  has  at  last  discovered  your 
transcendent  merit,  and  has  famished  you  with  such 
suitable  and  comfortable  lodgings.  I  have  only  to 
regret  that  your  present  situation  will  place  it  com 
pletely  out  of  your  power  to  give  any  more  instruction 
to  such  Monteros  as  may  wish  to  learn  the  delightful 
game  of  billiards." 

The  sharper  answered  only  by  grinding  his  teeth, 
and  casting  one  of  his  most  ferocious  glances  at  his 
late  pupil. 

This  incident  furnished  Pedro  with  some  topics  of 
consolation.  "  Though  I  have  lost  money,"  said  he, 
"  my  honour  is  unsoiled,  and  if  I  am  comparatively 
poor,  I  am  still  at  liberty.  —  Besides,  who  knows  what 
fortune  may  do  for  me  yet?" 

This  last  clause  w  too  often  the  termination  of  a 
gambler's  sober  reflections  ;  and  generally  leads,  as  in 
the  present  instance,  to  a  fresh  adventure  in  the  most 
ruinous  of  all  schemes  of  aggrandizement. 


•••' 


CHAPTER  IV. 


the  Governor's  Square, 
Pedro  directed  his  steps 
to  a  house  not  very  remote 
from  that  elegant  prome 
nade,  where  he  had  heard 
there  was  to  be  music  and 
dancing,  and  roulette  and 
monti.  He  took  care,  how 
ever,  to  call  on  his  way  at  a  place  of  refreshment  op 
posite  the  church,  and  regale  himself  with  a  cup  of 
chocolate  and  a  good  Spanish  cracker. 

The  house,  where  Pedro  resolved  to  spend  his 
evening,  was  called  "  La  Casa  de  la  Marchesa,"  being 
the  property  of  a  certain  marchioness,  who  rented  it 
to  a  gaming  concern  or  faro  bank.  .  Public  balls, 
free  from  expense  to  the  company,  were  given  in  the 
front  hall,  for  the  purpose  of  attracting  persons  to  the 
inner  apartments,  where  large  sums  were  risked  at  the 
gaming  tables.  As  Pedro  entered,  he  observed  a  dark 
visaged  sentinel  with  enormous  black  whiskers,  pacing 
to  and  fro  in  the  vestibule.  "  All  right !"  said  Pedro 

250 


LA  CASA  DE  LA  MARCHESA.  £51 

to  himself;  "  no  tricks  upon  travellers  here,  I  find. 
His  most  Catholic  Majesty  is  pleased  to  extend  his 
protecting  care  even  over  places  of  public  amusement, 
and  see  that  his  loyal  subjects  are  not  cheated  even 
when  they  choose  to  sport  a  doubloon  on  the  turn  of  a 
card." 

If  he  had  known  the  whole,  he  might  have  added — 
and  his  most  Legitimate  Majesty  is  graciously  pleased 
to  pay  himself,  pretty  liberally,  for  this  and  every  other 
interference  with  the  private  concerns  of  his  liege 
subjects. 

The  music  from  a  band  of  twenty  mulattpes  was  ex 
hilarating.  Pedro  just  threw  a  passing  glance  into 
the  hall.  A  glimpse  of  the  sparkling  beauties — the 
diamonds  and  ostrich  feathers,  waving  and  glancing 
with  every  motion  of  the  graceful  waltz,  and  the 
elegant  dresses  of  the  gentlemen,  among  which  he 
noticed  the  dashing  uniforms  of  King  Ferdinand's 
cavaliers,  and  the  more  modest  blue  of  the  navy  offi 
cers  of  the  north — satisfied  Pedro  that  the  hall  was 
not  a  place  where  he  might  hope  to  figure. 

"  I  can  see  none  there  in  the  Montero  dress,"  said  Pe 
dro.  "To  be  sure, our  neighbour's  son,  Gaspar  Gomez, 
is  figuring  away  there  among  the  best  of  those  town 
folks ;  and  a  very  likely  young  man  he  is  too, — I  al 
ways  liked  Gaspar.  But  then  he  has  furnished  him 
self  with  a  black  broadcloth  coat,  a  fine  cravat,  linen 
pantaloons,  as  loose  as  coffee  bags,  and  black  leathern 
pumps.  My  dress  is  quite  a  different  sort  of  thing. 
How  he  smiles  and  bows  to  his  partner.  An  elegant 
creature  she  is  too— fine  form — beautiful  dancer.  I 


252  A    SURPRISE. 

• 

wish  I  could  catch  a  glimpse  of  her  face  among  the 
crowd  there.  There,  she  turns  and  advances  this  way. 
Santa  Maria!  it  is  Conchita  !  O,  that  villain,  Gaspar! 
I  only  wish  I  had  him  here  in  the  entry,  I'd  measure 
machetes  with  him  in  fine  style,  I  warrant  him.  I 
would  teach  him  to  waltz  and  smile  with  the  prettiest 
senorita  in  all  the  partido." 

He  paced  the  entry  in  the  greatest  agitation.  The 
surprise  was  overpowering.  Conchita  had  come  to 
town  to  spend  the  Christmas  holy  days  with  a  relation, 
on  a  sudden  invitation,  without  his  knowledge.  She 
had  come  to  the  ball,  of  course,  and  danced  with  the 
only  country  acquaintance  she  happened  to  meet  there. 
All  this  was  very  natural  and  proper ;  but  Pedro  re 
garded  it  as  a  vile  conspiracy  against  his  peace  and 
happiness. 

"  Who  would  have  thought,  it  of  Conchita?"  he  con 
tinued  ;  "  to  be  dancing  here  at  the  city  balls  with  that 
scoundrel,  Gaspar  Gomez,  when  I  thought  she  was  in 
the  country,  mourning  my  absence  like  a  lovelorn  turtle. 
O,  these  women  !  these  women  !  They  are  all  alike ! 
There  is  no  trusting  any  of  them ! — Well,  there  is  no 
help  for  it.  If  I  were  in  a  ball-dress,  I  would  go  into 
the  hall  and  show  a  proper  resentment,  by  dancing 
with  every  other  tolerable-looking  lady  there,  and 
never  so  much  as  bowing  to  her,  though  she  is  by  fai 
the  handsomest  I  can  see  there.  O,  the  wicked  little 
baggage! — But,  as  for  Mr.  Gentleman  Gaspar,  he 
shall  eat  a  piece  of  my  loyal  machete,  if  I  can  meet 
him  to-morrow." 

With  this  doughty  resolution,  Pedro  stalked  ifitd 


THE   MONTl-TABLfi.  253 

the  apartment  containing  the  monti-table.  It  was 
covered  with  red  morocco,  and  heaped  with  piles  of 
dollars  and  doubloons.  Behind  it,  next  the  wall,  sat 
a  portly-looking  personage,  who  dealt  the  cards;  and 
before  it,  the  company,  who  severally  laid  their  money 
near  the  card  on  which  they  betted.  As  the  turn  of  a 
card  decided  the  game,  several  of  the  piles  of  dollars 
would  be  swept  away  to  the  heap  containing  the  bank- 
stock,  and  the  other  piles  would  be  doubled  and  re 
turned  to  the  winners.  The  company  who  sported 
their  money  at  this  game,  seemed  to  be  rather  select 
and  well  dressed,  and  preserved  the  most  perfect  si 
lence  and  gravity.  Among  them  were  a  few  elderly 
ladies.  Pedro,  hearing  a  shouting  in  an  apartment 
still  farther  within  the  buildings,  entered  it,  and  found  an 
immense  company  of  Monteros,  sailors,  and  soldiers, 
assembled  round  the  roulette-table,  and  shouting  at 
every  turn  of  the  game.  The  table  was  very  large 
and  circular,  with  numbers  and  spaces  marked  round 
the  edge.  The  company  either  played  at  odd  and 
even,  by  placing  their  money  on  the  spaces,  and  having 
nearly  an  even  chance  of  doubling  it,  or  by  placing 
their  money  on  a  number,  took  one  chance  in  thirty- 
six  of  winning  thirty-six  for  one.  The  game  was 
played  by  swinging  round  an  iron  rod  which  was 
placed  upon  a  pivot  in  the  centre  of  the  table. 

Pedro's  purse  was  pretty  low.    In  fact,  he  had  bu 
a  doubloon  left.     He  was  in  such  a  state  of  ngitatior,, 
from  the  scene  he  had  just  witnessed  in  the  ball-room, 
that  he  was  scarcely  conscious  what  he  did.    Drawing 

his  last  doubloon  from  his  pocket,  he  laid  it  on  the 

v 


254  PEDRO'S  SUCCESS. 

edge  of  the  table.  A  hundred  voices  called  at  once-*- 
"  He  sports  a  doubloon  on  a  number !  Bravo !  Thirty- 
six  to  one  you'll  lose  it !" 

Pedro  saw  his  mistake.  He  had  intended  to  place 
it  where  there  was  an  even  chance  to  double  and  the 
same  chance  to  lose  it.  But  before  he  could  change  its 
place,  the  keen-eyed  conductor  of  the  game  had  seen 
his  advantage,  and  sent  the  rod  •  whirling  round  the 
circle.  It  was  then  too  late.  "  I  am  ruined !"  said 
Pedro,  mentally* 

The  rod  moved  slower,  then  approached  the  part 
of  the  circle  where  Pedro  and  his  doubloon  were  sta 
tioned.  The  clamours  of  the  company  rose  high  at 
this  appearance,  some  cheering  and  offering  bets  that 
he  would  win,  and  others  eagerly  accepting  them. 
The  rod  wavered,  and  at  last  settled  quietly  down  op 
posite  Pedro's  doubloon.  The  apartment  rung  with 
acclamations  and  bravoes.  Some  eagerly  shook  Pe 
dro  by  the  hand,  and  congratulated  him  on  his  good 
fortune,  and  others  wished  the  doubloon  had  been 
theirs;  while  Pedro  quietly  pocketed  the  thirty-six 
gold  pieces,  which  the  banker  handed  from  the  oppo 
site  side  of  the  table,  sneeringly  observing  to  his  for 
tunate  opponent,  "  You  had  better  try  it  again,  my 
friend,  there  were  only  thirty-six  chances  opposed  to 
your  one." 

"  I  don't  care  if  I  do,"  said  Pedro ;  and,  laying  a 
doubloon  on  another  number  near  him,  he  won  again,* 
to  the  amazement  of  the  company,  and  the  utter  con 
sternation  of  the  banker.    As  soon  as  he  had  received 

*  This  actually  happened  to  a  Montero  at  Matanzas. 


PEDRO  S    SUCCESS. 


255 


the  proceeds  of  his  unparalleled  good  fortune,  he  bowed 
very  politely  to  the  company ;  bade  them  good-night ; 
and,  leaving  the  apartment,  hurried  through  the  monti- 
room,  and,  passing  the  door  of  the  hated  ball-room, 
went  into  the  street.  Here  he  looked  round  carefully, 
to  see  if  he  had  not  been  followed  by  some  adventurer, 
who  might  wish  to  put  in  a  claim  to  his  gold,  on  the 
point  of  a  long  knife.  Seeing  all  safe,  he  hurried  to 
his  apartment  at  the  hotel. 


CHAPTER  V. 


RRIVED  at  his  apartment,  Pedro 
fastened  the  door,  laid  his 
sword  on  the  table,  within 
reach,  and,  throwing  himself 
upon  the  bed  without  undress 
ing,  gave  himself  up  to  a  train  of  reflections.  "  Let 
me  calculate,"  said  he  to  himself, — "Seventy-two 
doubloons! — seventeen  times  seventy — seventy  times 
seventeen,  is  eleven  hundred  and  ninety — twice  seven 
teen  is  thirty-four; — both  equal  to  twelve  hundred  and 
twenty-four  dollars.  Quite  a  pretty  sum — a  good 
evening's  work. — I  wish  I  had  Gaspar  Gomez  by  the 
throat.  O,  Conchita !  Conchita !  what  pleasure  I 
should  have  had  in  laying  this  gold  at  your  feet  but 
yesterday!  But  you  have  left  your  trusty  Montero 
for  a  wretch  who  has  thrown  away  his  machete  and 
spurs,  to  figure  in  a  broadcloth  coat  and  pumps.  How 
ever,  these  doubloons  are  not  to  be  despised,  for  all 
that. — Let  me  consider:  I  think  I'll  cut  a  dash 
among  these  city  folkf— I'll  make  the  natives  here 

256 


PEDRO'S  SOLILOQUY.  257 

stare  a  little,  and  Conchita's  heart  ache  with  vexation, 
too.  I  will  go  in  the  morning  down  to  the  quay,  where 
I  saw  a  Yankee  captain  landing  his  cargo  of  notions 
to-day,  and  I  will  buy  me  an  elegant  volante ;  then  I 
will  go  to  a  stable  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  purchase 
a  long-sided  Connecticut  horse,  half  as  big  as  one  of 
my  own  Camarioca  hills ;  and  I'll  buy  the  blackest 
Guinea-boy  I  can  find,  and  rig  him  out  with  a  smart 
uniform  for  my  calesero ;  and  I'll  spend  the  rest  of 
the  day  in  driving  about  the  city.  But,  by  the  whiskers 
of  King  Ferdinand !  I'll  not  alter  an  article  of  my 
dress.  I  will  be  a  Montero  still.  These  people  shall 
respect  the  Monteros,"  continued  Pedro,  sitting  up 
right  on  his  little  bed,  and  placing  his  arms  akimbo. 
"As  for  that  villain,  Caspar  Gomez,  he  shall  not  have 
the  honour  of  falling  by  my  sword.  I  will  mortify 
him  to  death.  I  will  cut  him  out  of  Conchita's  good 
graces,  and  that,  too,  in  a  Montero  dress. — Not  that 
I  intend  to  pay  her  any  very  particular  attention,  just 
at  present :  I  shall  merely  drive  by  the  house  where 
her  aunt  resides,  a  few  times  during  the  day,  with  the 
volante  top  thrown  back — that  will  answer  my  pur 
pose  for  the  present.  She  will  despise  Gaspar  Gomez 
and  his  broadcloth  coat  forever  after.  Then  I'll  drive, 
or  rather  I'll  order  my  calesero  to  drive  round  the 
Governor's  Square,  by  Atkins's  great  house,  through 
Middle  street,  and  down  by  the  garrison  and  custom 
house  to  the  water's  edge,  so  as  to  make  the  officers 
and  merchants  inquire  what  great  gentleman  from  the 

country  has  come  to  town.   And  then,  at  night " 

Here  Pedro  suddenly  stopped ;  for  it  occurred  to  him 


858 


PEDRO  S    SOLILOQUY. 


M  this  moment,  that  a  house  and  establishment  cor 
responding  to  his  fine  volante  would  be  necessary,  in 
order  to  make  his  triumph  last  longer  than  a  day  or 
two  at  most.  But,  to  tell  the  truth,  jealousy  bad  driven 
Pedro  almost  out  of  his  wits.  His  soliloquy  now  took 
another  turn.  "I  think,"  said  he,  "it  will  be  best  to 
get  some  more  money  before  I  commence  gentleman 
Montero,  and  take  the  title  of  Senor  Don  Pedro  San- 
ehes.  I  will  try  my  luck  at  roulette  once  more  to 
morrow.  Who  knows  but  another  evening  may  give 
me  money  enough  to  buy  a  house,  as  well  as  a  volante." 
With  this  wise  resolution,  he  lay  down  and  com 
posed  himself  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HE  next  evening  Pedro  took  his 
place  at  the  roulette-table,  with 
out  even  looking  in  upon  the 
dancers  in  the  ball-room.  He 
was  full  of  pleasant  anticipations. 
He  believed  himself  one  of  Fortune's  favourites,  and 
resolved  to  atford  the  goddess  sufficient  opportunity  to 
befriend  him.  It  was,  therefore,  with  a  careless,  con 
fident  air,  and  a  full  expectation  of  success,  that  he 
sported  his  doubloons  one  after  another,  sometimes 
winning  and  sometimes  losing;  and  it  was  not  till  after 
a  whole  week's  attendance  at  the  gaming-house,  that 
he  found  himself  stripped  of  all  his  late  winnings.  His 
horse  was  speedily  disposed  of  for  two-thirds  of  his 
real  value,  and  the  price  staked  and  lost.  Then  follow 
ed  the  few  dollars  which  he  could  raise  by  selling  his 
sword  and  his  silver  spurs.  It  was  not  until  he  had 
lost  the  last  rial  he  could  muster,  that  he  abandoned 
the  scene  of  his  good  and  ill  fortune,  and  strolled  out 
of  the  city,  swearing  that  he  would  never  risk  another 
dollar  on  a  game  of  chance. 

259 


260 


FEDRO  S    REVERSES. 


The  road  he  took  was  the  great  highway  leading 
to  Havana — for  he  had  no  thoughts  of  returning  home 
in  his  present  plight.  It  may  well  be  supposed  that 
his  reflections  were  none  of  the  most  comfortable; 
but  he  had  one  of  those  free-and-easy  tempers  that 
furnish  an  admirable  remedy  for  the  misfortunes  of 
life ;  and  although  the  stubborn  fact  that  he  was  penni 
less  had  convinced  him  of  the  folly  of  his  late  pur 
suits,  he  was  not  utterly  disheartened. 


CHAPTER  VII, 

HAVE  lost  all  my  money," 
said  he  to  himself,  "  and 
my  sword  and  my  spurs 
are  gone  too ;  but  it  was 
what  might  have  hap 
pened  to  any  gentleman, 
and  it  is  by  no  means 

the  worst  thing  that  might  have  befallen  me.  I  have 
life,  and  limbs,  and  liberty  still,  and  fortunately  I  live 
in  a  country  where  no  man  is  under  the  necessity  of 
labouring  more  than  an  hour  in  the  day  to  procure  the 
neans  of  subsistence.  But  mere  subsistence  won't  do 
for  me.  I  am  determined  to  be  somebody;  and  as  I 
aave  now  placed  myself  fairly  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ladder  of  worldly  promotion,  I  will  lay  down  a  few 
maxims  whereby  I  may  rise,  peradventure,  to  the  top. 
[n  the  first  place,  I  won't  gamble  :  secondarily,  I'll  keep 
up  a  good  heart :  next,  I'll  watch  the  tide  of  affairs : 
and,  finally,  I'll  bear  in  mind  that,  if  I  don't  take  care 
of  myself,  nobody  will  take  care  of  me." 

261 


PEDRO'S  JOURNEY  TO  HAVANA. 

So  saying,  Pedro  jogged  along  on  the  road,  and 
actually  mustered  spirits  enough  to  sing  a  verse  or  two 
of  the  everlasting  Llanto. 

Presently,  he  heard  the  tinkling  of  bells  behind  him, 
and  was  soon  overtaken  by  a  drove  of  mules,  laden 
with  wax,  and  driven  by  half  a.  dozen  tawny  Monteros, 
equipped  in  a  manner  somewhat  similar  to  that  in  which 
he  himself  had  first  sallied  forth  in  quest  of  adventures. 
But  these  Monteros  had  travelled  far,  and  were  cover 
ed  with  red  dust.  Pedro  fell  into  a  desultory  chat 
with  one  of  them  who  lingered  behind  the  rest,  and 
who  seemed  to  have  the  direction -of  the  party. 

"Are  these  mules  yours?"  said   Pedro,  after  ex 
changing  the  ordinary  civilities. 
"Yes,"  replied  the  man. 

"  You  are  quite  rich,"  said  Pedro.  "  Here  cannot 
be  less  than  fifty  mules,  and  they  are  worth,  I  suppose, 
a  hundred  dollars  apiece." 

The  man  smiled  at  our  hero's  idea  of  a  rich  man. 
"What  would  you  say,"  said  he,  "if  I  should  tell 
you  that  I  had  left  at  home  five  thousand  head  of 
cattle  in  a  snug  little  pasture  of  six  leagues  square?" 

Pedro  stared  at  the  man,  and  surveyed  his  appear-, 
ance  more  attentively.  His  dress  was  of  linen  check, 
like  his  own,  but  soiled  from  head  to  foot  with  red 
dust.  His  head  was  covered  with  an  enormous  chip- 
hat,  which  had  once  been  white,  but  was  now  nearly 
black  with  dust,  perspiration,  and  segar-smoke;  his 
machete  was  tied  to  his  side  with  a  ragged  silk  hand 
kerchief,  and  all  his  personal  appointments  were  not 
worth  half  a  doubloon.  There  are  hundreds  of  these 


*';_.__ 

THE    HEUDSMEN    OP   CUBA.  ££3 

aerdsmen  in  Cuba,  as  wealthy  and  as  slovenly  as  he. 
Pedro  knew  the  fact  by  hearsay,  but  he  could  not 
help  staring  a  little  at  finding  himself  cheek  by  jowl 
with  one  of  these  great  proprietors. 

"  Why,  senor,"  replied  he,  "if  that  be  the  case,  I 
should  think  you  would  hardly  submit  to  the  drudgery 
of  driving  these  mules  to  Havana,  when  it  is  so  easy 
to  hire  men  for  the  purpose." 

"O,"  replied  the  herdsman,  "I  like  to  attend  to 
my  business  myself.  There  is  little  dependence  to  be 
put  upon  agents.  I  can  scarcely  trust  them  here  with 
me  on  the  road.  A  fellow  ran  away  from  me  last 
night,  to  whom  I  was  fool  enough  to  advance  a  month's 
pay,  and  I  am  just  now  looking  out  for  some  one  to 
succeed  him." 

This  was  good  news  to  Pedro.  He  had  long  wished 
to  see  Havana,  the  great  city,  which  every  Montero 
of  Cuba  firmly  believes  to  be  the  most  magnificent  in 
the  world ;  and,  on  explaining  his  wishes  to  the  man,  he 
found  no  difficulty  in  striking  a  bargain  to  their  mu- 
;ual  satisfaction.  In  a  few  moments  he  was  mounted 
:m  a  spare  horse  belonging  to  his  employer,  and  can- 
iered  away,  whistling  and  bawling  at  the  mules  com 
mitted  to  his  care,  as  cheerily  as  if  he  had  never  lost 
L  doubloon  in  his  life. 

At  night  the  party  stopped  at  one  of  the  hedge- 
nns,  or  tabernas,  as  they  are  called,  which  abound  on 
he  principal  roads  of  the  island.  The  mules  were 
ethered  in  a  neighbouring  pasture,  and  carefully 
guarded  by  two  of  the  Monteros,  while  the  rest  re 
galed  themselves  on  their  dried  beef  and  a  few  roasted 


PEDRO    IN    HAVATCA. 

plantains.     Pedro,  being  a  new  hand,  was  treated  by 
his  employer  to  a  cup  of  coffee,  an  omelette,  a  few 
glasses  of  claret,  and  cigar.    When  the  repast  was  con 
eluded,  each  rolled  himself  in  his  cloak,  and,  stretch 
ing  his  weary  limbs  on  a  bench,  or  the  floor  of  the 
inn,  composed  himself  to  rest  for  the  night. 

At  daybreak  they  resumed  their  journey ;  and  on 
the  morning  of  the  third  day  they  passed  the  gates, 
and  entered  the  city  of  Havana.  Here  his  master 
speedily  disposed  of  his  mules  and  their  lading,  and, 
paying  our  hero  a  few  dollars  for  his  services,  left  him 
to  push  his  way  among  the  multitudes  of  the  busy 
metropolis. 


THE  REVIEW  IN  THE  PLAZA  DB  ARMA9. 


366 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


was  now  a 
happy  fellow.  He 
had  money  enough 
to  last  him  several 
days,  and  he  had 
nothing  to  do  but 
stare  about  and  ad 
mire  the  wonders 
of  this  new  world.  He  was  amazed  at  the  extent  of 
the  city,  and  the  multitudes  of  people  whom  he  met 
in  his  rambles  from  street  to  street.  At  one  moment 
he  stopped  to  gaze  at  the  jewels  and  rich  stuffs  dis 
played  at  the  shop-windows ;  at  another  he  was  at 
tracted  by  the  show  of  wealth  and  splendour,  the  glit 
tering  chandeliers,  gay  tapestry,  and  massy  furniture 
which  appeared  in  the  houses  of  the  grandees,  as  the 
withdrawing  of  a  curtain  gave  him  a  glimpse  into 
their  saloons.  Now  he  looked  with  mute  wonder  on 
the  massy  walls  and  gray  towers  of  a  monastery,  and 
now  on  the  ample  courts  and  well-stored  warehouses 

267 


268  GAMBLES  IN  HAVANA. 

of  some  wealthy  merchant.  He  met  a  religious  pro 
cession,  with  its  solemn  pageantry  of  images  and 
burning  tapers,  its  cowled  monks  and  grave  dignita 
ries  of  the  church ;  and  he  devoutly  crossed  himself 
as  the  sacred  symbols  of  his  religion  passed  before 
him. 

Shortly  after,  he  encountered  a  company  of  soldiers, 
and  could  hardly  refrain  from  shouting,  "Long  live 
King  Ferdinand."  The  frequent  chiming  of  church- 
bells,  the  occasional  peal  of  cannon,  and  the  shrill 
echoes  of  the  bugle,  heard  from  the  fortresses  around 
the  harbour,  had  a  stirring  effect  upon  his  spirit;  and 
he  felt  an  elation,  a  patriotic  pride  in  the  unimagined 
grandeur  of  his  country's  capital,  which  made  him 
forget  that  he  himself  was  a  poor,  houseless  wanderer, 
a  mere  drop  in  the  ocean  of  living  beings  into  which 
he  had  so  carelessly  thrown  himself. 

He  rambled  on  from  street  to  street,  and  thought 
that  he  could  never  satisfy  his  eyes  with  gazing  at  the 
innumerable  novelties  of  the  place.  His  course  soon 
brought  him  into  one  of  the  large  squares  which  are 
used  for  the  purpose  of  market-places.  There  was  a 
fountain  playing  in  the  centre,  and  a  few  low  wooden 
sheds,  running  round  it,  afforded  shelter  to  a  part  of 
the  dealers,  while  the  remainder  of  the  space  was 
filled  up  with  mules,  laden  with  baskets  of  fowls, 
eggs,  milk,  plantains,  bananas,  and  a  hundred  other 
productions  of  the  country,  with  here  and  there  a 
negro  woman,  squatting  on  the  ground  behind  her 
array  of  cakes,  oranges,  ancj  pine-apples. 

Pedro  quenched  his  thirst  at  the  Jpu.njtain,  and,  foj- 


THE    PLAZA    DE    ARMAS.  £69 

a  half-rial,  purchased  provisions  enough  to  last  him 
through  the  day,  viz.,  a  couple  of  roasted  plantains, 
three  bananas,  and  a  bit  of  sugar-cane.  He  made  his 
breakfast  on  the  bananas,  and  carefully  stowed  the 
remaining  articles  in  his  pockets.  He  then  resumed 
his  walk,  and  soon  found  himself  in  the  Plaza  de 
Armas. 

This  beautiful  square,  enclosed  by  large  and  elegant 
buildings,  and  planted  with  roses  and  flowering  shrubs, 
was  sufficiently  striking  to  our  simple  country  hero; 
but  at  the  present  moment  it  was  rendered  doubly  so 
by  a  military  parade.  Three  sides  of  the  square  were 
lined  with  soldiery,  drawn  up  in  dense  columns  to 
pass  their  review,  before  receiving  their  month's  pay. 
The  remaining  side  of  the  square,  formed  by  the  go 
vernor's  house,  was  filled  with  spectators,  while  a 
balcony  over  their  heads  showed  a  gallant  display  of 
officers  in  full  uniform,  in  attendance  on  the  governor. 
A  full  band  was  playing  at  the  moment  our  hero 
entered  the  square ;  and,  leaning  against  a  pillar  of  the 
governor's  house,  he  enjoyed  the  spectacle  with  no 
ordinary  feelings  of  patriotic  enthusiasm. 

The  dresses  of  the  soldiers,  without  a  speck  of  dust ; 
their  arms  glittering  in  the  sun;  the  regularity  of 
their  discipline,  as  they  went  through  the  manual  ex 
ercise  with  such  simultaneous  movement,  as  if  one 
volition  actuated  the  whole  body;  the  gallant  bearing 
of  the  officers,  and  the  stern  gravity  of  the  men — 
these  circumstances,  together  with  the  exhilarating 
sounds  of  the  music,  formed  altogether  a  sort  of  magic 
scene,  whose  effect  on  a  youth  that  had  passed  his 


270  AMBITIOUS    LONGINGS. 

'r/'fr-ffA     £?ti  . 

days  in  the  serenity  of  a  country  life,  a  stranger  to 
every  thing  like  pomp  and  pageantry,  may  be  easily 
imagined.  It  awakened  a  new  life  within  him,  and 
kindled  the  latent  fire  of  ambition  in  his  hitherto 
indolent  and  careless  mind.  He  thought  that  he 
had  lived  in  vain,  that  he  had  wasted  in  vanity  the 
early  part  of  his  life ;  and  he  longed  for  an  opportunity 
to  signalize  himself  by  some  grand  exploit,  or  to  en 
gage  in  some  great  enterprise,  which  should  give  him 
a  name  and  a  place  among  his  countrymen,  and  enable 
him  to  play  his  part  with  credit  in  the  great  theatre 
of  life. 

He  was  too  wise,  however,  to  think  of  becoming  a 
soldier  in  time  of  peace ;  although  these  high  thoughts 
and  purposes  had  been  occasioned  by  a  military  pa 
geant.  He  contented  himself  for  the  present,  with 
resolving  to  embrace  the  first  opportunity  of  rising  to 
distinction;  entertaining  a  sort  of  vague  expectation, 
not  unusual  with  young  heroes,  that  FORTUNE  had 
many  such  opportunities  in  store  for  him.  So  that, 
although  thoroughly  reformed  from  gambling,  he  still 
retained  a  sort  of  dependence  on  the  smiles  of  the 
fickle  goddess. 


;_->•_•  •  - v;_ __;  '     '~y" 


->•>-  ji 

i  "  • 

-  / *V  '.A** \    ' 

Li        -  f  »% -',        i    - . 


CHAPTER  IX. 


the  Plaza  de  Ar 
mas,  Pedro  continued  his 
ramble  from  street  to 
street,  until  he  found 
himself  at  the  wall  pf  the 
city  on  the  side  opposite 
to  that  at  which  he  had 
entered.  Following  the 
street  which  ran  parallel  to  it,  he  at  length  came  to  an 
angle  of  the  wall  where  there  were  cannons  mounted,  but 
no  soldiers  near.  He  ascended  without  much  difficulty, 
and,  seating  himself  on  one  of  the  cannons,  enjoyed  the 
prospect  which  spread  around  him.  Immediately  before 
him  and  far  below,  lay  the  placid  waters  of  the  har 
bour,  on  the  side  next  the  city,  thronged  with  ships  from 
every  great  mart  in  the  world ;  on  the  opposite  side 
bounded  by  an  almost  perpendicular  hill,  rising  seve 
ral  hundred  feet  above  the  water,  and  crowned  with 
the  white  walls  of  those  immense  batteries  called  the 
Cabanas.  These  fortifications  stretch  along  for  a  great 
distance  on  the  brow  of  this  hill,  and  are  so  elevated, 

271 


272         THE  HARBOUR  OF  HAVANA. 

that  the  sentinels,  which  are  always  pacing  about,  seen 
from  a  ship's  deck  below,  look  scarcely  bigger  than  Lil 
liputian  troops.  On  his  left  Pedro  beheld  the  opening 
of  the  harbour,  guarded  by  the  frowning  walls  of  the 
impregnable  Morro  on  one  side,  and  the  humble  fort 
ress  of  the  Punta  on  the  other;  on  his  right  the 
harbour  stretched  far  in  and  opened  Wide,  disclosing 
the  white  houses  of  the  Reglas  on  its  farthest  shore, 
and  bounded  by  the  continuous  ridge  of  hills  which 
encloses  the  city  and  harbour. 

As  the  sun  descended  below  the  horizon,  Pedro 
was  startled  by  the  roar  of  a  thirty-two  pounder,  dis 
charged  from  a  ship  of  war  in  the  harbour,  and  im 
mediately  the  bugles  sent  forth  their  thrilling  echoes 
from  .the  Cabana,  chanting  a  stately  requiem  to  the 
departed  day. 

Pedro  rose  from  his  seat,  and,  casting  one  more 
look  at  the  goodly  prospect,  slowly  paced  along  the 
wall,  till  he  came  to  one  of  the  city  gates. — Observing 
that  a  long  train  of  volantes  filled  with  ladies  were 
passing  out,  he  conjectured  that  there  might  be  some 
show  without  the  walls ;  and  accordingly  he  descended 
from  the  wall,  passed  over  the  drawbridge,  without 
being  challenged  by  the  sentinels,  and,  following  the 
line  of  volantes,  soon  found  himself  in  the  Alameda, 
or  Paseo. 

This  beautiful  promenade  is  a  mile  in  length.  It  is 
planted  with  trees  and  decorated  with  fountains,  and 
affords  a  fine,  level  carriage  way,  separated  by  rows  of 
trees  from  the  side-walks,  and  seats  designed  for  the 
accommodation  of  foot-passengers.  When  Pedro  en- 


THE    PLAZA    DE    TOROS.  273 

tered  the  Paseo,  he  found  it  thronged  with  carriages 
of  every  description,  and  people  of  all  classes.  There 
were  the  nobles  in  their  coaches,  the  gentry  in  their 
volantes,  and  the  commons  on  horseback  or  on  foot, 
all  in  holiday-dresses ;  and  a  band  of  music  playing 
lively  airs,  announced  that  it  was  a  holiday  occasion 
Most  of  the  volantes  had  their  tops  thrown  back  to 
afford  the  richly-dressed  ladies  an  opportunity  to  see 
and  be  seen ;  and  truly  there  was  such  a  display  of 
beauty  and  splendour  as  caused  our  Montero  to  ac 
knowledge  to  himself  that  this  spectacle  far  exceeded 
any  thing  he  had  yet  beheld. 

Having  passed  through  the  Paseo,  Pedro  strolled 
along  througli  the  suburbs,  until  his  attention  was  at 
tracted  by  a  large,  black-looking  edifice  of  a  circular 
form,  with  very  high  walls,  built  of  pine  boards.  Ap 
proaching,  he  observed  large  handbills  pasted  against 
the  wall ;  and  on  reading  one  of  them,  found  it  to  be 
an  advertisement  of  a  splendid  Corrida  de  Toros,  or 
bull-fight  for  the  following  day. 

"  This  building,  then,"  says  Pedro,  "  can  be  no 
other  than  the  famous  Plaza  de  Toros,  of  which  I 
have  so  often  heard ;  and  to-morrow  there  will  be  one 
of  those  grand  exhibitions  which  I  have  been  all  my 
life  desiring  to  see.  I  should  like  of  all  things  to 
witness  it." 

"  Senor!"  called  out  a  man  at  one  of  the  entrances. 

Pedro  turned  round,  and,  observing  the  man  beckon 
ing  to  him,  he  asked  him  what  he  wanted. 

"  Senor   Caballero"  said  the  man,  with  a  low  bow, 
35 


274  THE    PLAZA   DE    TOROS. 

"  should  you  like  to  attend  the  Corrida  de  Toros  to 
morrow  ?" 

"  Perhaps  I  might,"  said  Pedro ;  "  but  why  do  you 
inquire?" 

"  I  am  desirous  to  engage  some  caballero  from  the 
country." 

"  Meaning  a  Montero,"  thought  Pedro. 

"  Some  caballero,"  continued  the  showman,  "  who 
is  skilled  in  the  use  of  the  lasso,  to  catch  some  of  the 
bulls  early  in  the  morning,  and  bring  them  from  a 
potrero,  where  they  are  now  running  loose,  to  the 
corral,  near  the  Plaza.  If  you  would  be  kind  enough 
to  honour  me  with  your  company  for  the  night,  assist 
me  in  catching  the  bulls  in  the  morning,  and  attend 
the  Corrida  to-morrow  as  a  spectator,  you  will  confer 
a  very  particular  favour." 

It  may  well  be  supposed,  that  our  hero  found  no 
difficulty  in  assenting  to  this  proposition,  for  having 
been  early  taught  the  use  of  the  lasso,  it  was  rather  a 
piece  of  sport  than  labour,  which  was  proposed  to 
him  as  the  price  of  his  entertainment.  He  accordingly 
accompanied  the  man  to  his  house,  where  he  found 
several  of  the  attendants  and  hangers-on  of  the  esta 
blishment;  and  having  eaten  a  hearty  supper  with 
them,  he  took  up  his  quarters  there  for  the  night. 


XX.     •         -X"S  ->V" 


'  ff.  &  > 


IHE   next  morning,  at 
an   early   hour,   he 
was  mounted  on  a 
horse  which  his  em 
ployer  assured  him 
had  been  well  train 
ed  to  the  business 
for   which   he   was 
intended ;  and  he  set  off  in  company  with  several  other 
horsemen,  and,  after  a  ride  of  a  few  minutes,  arrived 
at  the  potrero,  or  large  pasture,  where  the  bulls  were. 
It  was   a  beautiful   plain,  with  here   and  there  a 
palm  tree,  with  its  crowning  tuft  of  branches;  and  the 
animals  were  observed  quietly  grazing  at  some  dis 
tance  from  the  point  where  their  persecutors  entered 
the  enclosure.     Pedro  was  in  high  spirits,  mounted 
on  a  fine  horse,  and,  braced  with  the  cool  morning  air, 
he  felt  the  keen  ardour  of  a  sportsman,  about  to  en- 
ga;x«-.  in  his  favourite  amusement      Having  selected 
from  his  companions  another  Montero  as  we,U  mounted 

275 


276  CATCHING   A   BtfLL. 

as  himself,  to  be  his  companion  and  assistant  in  the 
chase,  he  separated  himself  from  the  main  group  of 
horsemen,  first  having  received  from  his  employer  a 
couple  of  lassos,  one  for  himself  and  another  for  his 
companion. 

This  instrument  is  a  very  strong  cord,  about  seven 
or  eight  yards  in  length,  made  of  narrow  thongs  of 
untanned  hide,  plaited  firmly  together.  One  end  of 
f  it  is  fixed  to  the  hinder  part  of  the  saddle,  generally  on 
the  right  side;  at  the  other  end  is  an  iron  ring,  about 
two  inches  in  diameter. 

Pedro  was  the  first  to  dash  into  the  herd  of  bulls, 
swinging  the  end  of  his  lasso  in  circles  over  his  head, 
and  keeping  his  eye  on  the  victim  which  he  had  selected 
from  the  group,  who  set  off  at  full  speed,  tossing  his 
head,  erecting  his  tail,  and  tearing  up  the  ground  with 
his  hoofs.  Our  hero  was  not  backward  in  following; 
and,  in  a  few  minutes,  the  bull,  Pedro,  and  his  com 
panion  were  separated  far  from  the  other  sportsmen 
and  the  herd,  and  dashing  over  the  plain  at  full  speed. 
As  he  neared  the  bull,  Pedro  threw  the  lasso  with 
such  an  unerring  aim,  that  his  victim  was  instantly  se 
cured  by  both  horns.  The  moment  the  lasso  was 
thrown,  his  horse  stopped  and  braced  himself,  and, 
leaning  to  the  side  opposite  the  bull,  coolly  received 
the  shock,  which  nearly  overthrew  him,  when  the  en 
raged  animal  sprung  forward  with  the  lasso  attached 
to  his  horns.  The  bull,  finding  himself  thus  entangled 
.  and  checked,  turned  upon  his  pursuer  with  a  most  fero 
cious  aspect,  and,  bending  his  head  forward,  and  spring 
ing  with  all  his  force,  directed  a  thrust  of  his  horns 


CATCHING  A  BULL.  27 

towards  t\e  horse.  But  the  well-trained  animal  eluded 
his  attack.,  and  bounded  off  in  another  direction,  far 
enough  to  lighten  the  lasso  again  and  tumble  the  bull 
upon  the  grass.  He  was  scarcely  an  instant  in  re 
covering  himself  and  making  another  furious  plunge 
at  the  horse,  with  tjie  same  result  After  repeated 
tumbles,  he  at  last  appeared  willing  to  suffer  himself 
to  be  led  off  towards  the  entrance  of  the  potrero ;  not, 
however,  until  Pedro's  companion  had  thrown  another 
lasso  over  his  horns,  and,  taking  his  station  on  the  op 
posite  side,  with  the  bull  between,  now  making  a  spring 
at  one  horse,  and  now  at  the  other,  they  managed  to 
half-drag  and  half-lead  him  along  the  plain,  while  the 
rest  of  the  company  were  securing  the  remainder  of 
the  herd  in  a  similar  manner.  When  all  were  se 
cured,  they  conducted  them  without  much  difficulty  to 
the  carral,  where  they  were  to  await  their  introduc 
tion  to  the  Plaza  de  Toros. 


CHAPTER  XI 


IHE  bulls  who  were  caught 
at  this  time,  may  well 
be  supposed  to  have 
been  in  no  very  good 
plight  for  an  exhibition 
in  which  "  the  most 
respectable  public,"  as 

the  bills  have  it,  i.  e.  the  rabble  of  Havana,  require 
that  the  bulls  shall  be  fierce  and  spirited.  But  the  de 
tachment  which  Pedro  had  assisted  in  taking  were  a 
sort  of  crops  du  reserve,  only  to  be  brought  out  in 
case  more  should  be  called  for,  when  all  the  fresh  ani 
mals  which  had  been  before  brought  in  should  have 
been  killed. 

After  partaking  of  a  sumptuous  breakfast,  a  sort  of 
dejeuner  a  la  fourchette,  with  his  patron,  Pedro  re 
paired  to  the  Plaza  de  Toros,  to  witness  the  exhibi 
tion.  It  was  a  spacious  amphitheatre,  with  seats 
rising  as  they  receded  from  the  open  area  in  the 

278 


THE    BULL-FIGHT.  279 

centre,  capable  of  containing  eight  thousand  specta 
tors,  and  Pedro  found  nearly  that  number  collected 
in  it. 

It  was  a  gay  and  gallant  assemblage.  Citizens  and 
their  families,  planters,  farmers,  merchants,  officers  of 
the  army  and  navy,  ladies,  priests  and  play-actors, 
nobles  of  ancient  lineage  and  upstart  gentry  of  yester 
day,  all  crowded  together  in  the  more  respectable 
seats,  while  the  particoloured  mixture  of  black,  white 
and  yellow,  bond  and  free,  which  makes  up  a  West 
Indian  rabble,  filled  up  the  space  allotted  to  the  ca 
naille.  A  band  of  music  sent  up  its  spirit-stirring 
echoes,  and  a  monkey  chained  to  a  high  post  in  the 
centre  of  the  area,  and  teased  by  a  pestilent  set  of 
mulatto  boys,  drew  forth  loud  peals  of  laughter,  by  the 
bites  and  pinches  with  which  he  continued  to  revenge 
himself  on  his  persecutors. 

Pedro  had  scarcely  taken  his  seat,  before  the  en 
trance  was  thrown  open,  and  a  bull  was  led  in,  accom 
panied  by  two  men  on  horseback,  dressed  in  short  silk 
jackets  and  jockey  caps,  and  armed  with  long  lances. 
One  of  these  taking  his  station  before  the  bull,  and 
laying  his  lance  in  its  rest,  made  a  menacing  gesture, 
at  which  the  bull  darted  forward  and  attempted  to 
gore  the  horse ;  but  a  well-directed  thrust  of  the  lance 
turned  aside  the  force  of  the  attack,  and  clapping 
spurs  to  his  horse,  the  man  rode  round  the  area,  while 
his  companion  repeated  the  same  feat  with  the  bull. 
This  sport  continued  for  some  time,  the  increasing 
rage  of  the  bull,  and  the  admirable  dexterity  of  the 
Norsemen  in  warding  off  his  ftmous  attacks,  being 


£80  A   BULL-FIGHT. 

more  apparent  at  every  repetition  of  the  contest  The 
delight  manifested  by  the  audience,  and  the  enthusiasm 
with  which  they  cheered,  whenever  the  bull  gave 
evidence  of  superior  fierceness,  and  hardly  suffered 
his  enemy  to  escape  with  his  life,  were  by  no  means 
the  least  curious  features  of  this  scene. 

When  the  animal's  rage  was  excited  to  the  highest, 
the  entrance  of  the  area  was  again  opened,  and  a  band 
of  fellows  came  in  on  foot,  dressed  in  a  style  similar 
to  that  of  the  horsemen,  and  armed  with  short  darts. 
These  were  charged  with  squibs  and  crackers,  which 
exploded  when  thrown,  so  that  the  poor  animal  was 
soon  stuck  over  with  fire-works,  raging  round  the 
area,  and  making  desperate  plunges  at  his  relentless 
enemies. 

When  he  was  nearly  exhausted  by  the  repeated 
wounds  received  from  the  lances  and  darts,  a  horse 
man  rode  into  the  area,  with  a  small  red  flag  in  one 
hand  and  a  sword  in  the  other ;  and,  taking  his  sta 
tion  in  the  centre,  shook  the  flag  at  the  bull,  who, 
springing  forward,  received  a  thrust  of  the  sword 
in  the  spine,  which  laid  him  dead  in  an  instant.  A 
number  of  horsemen  gayly  dressed,  and  bearing  ban 
ners,  bells,  and  streamers  of  silk,  then  rode  in,  and, 
throwing  cords  round  the  animal's  horns^  drew  hijn 
out  of  the  area. 

Several  bulls  were  thus  slaughtered  in  the  course 
of  two  hours ;  and  one,  on  account  of  the  great  spirit 
and  fierceness  which  he  exhibited,  was  spared,  his 
life  being  demanded  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  the 
audience.  Pedro  was  somewha*:  puzzled  to  conjee-? 


BAITING   AN    ELK.  281 

ture  how  they  would  contrive  to  get  him  out  of  the 
area,  and  had  thoughts  of  volunteering  his  services 
with  the  lasso ;  for  he  knew  very  well  that  it  was  out 
of  the  question  to  think  of  driving  him  out,  when 
exasperated  by  persecution.  The  managers  of  the 
show,  however,  were  well  prepared  for  this  emergency; 
for  they  turned  in  several  tame  bulls  that  had  been 
trained  for  the  purpose,  who  coursed  round  the  area 
very  peaceably,  till  the  half-exhausted  animal  joined 
with  them  and  followed  them  out. 

The  bull-fight  being  closed,  a  bull-baiting  was  ex 
hibited,  which  consisted  in  merely  turning  in  a  par 
cel  of  dogs  upon  the  bull ;  who,  after  being  worried 
by  them,  was  despatched  with  the  sword  as  the  others 
had  been. 

To  close  the  entertainments  of  the  day,  a  perfectly 
novel  and  unheard-of  entertainment  was  given,  which 
was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  baiting  an  elk,  which 
had  been  brought  for  a  show  from  the  United  States. 
The  animal  was  led  into  the  area,  and  eight  dogs 
turned  loose  upon  him.  Great  interest  was  excited 
among  the  spectators  concerning  the  manner  in  which 
his  elkship  would  receive  their  attacks.  He  took 
the  thing,  however,  very  coolly,  for  he  stood  perfectly 
still,  and  raising  his  nose,  which  his  great  height  ena 
bled  him  to  place  completely  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
dogs,  he  quietly  watched  their  movements.  They 
attacked  him  with  great  fury,  biting  his  sides,  and 
springing  towards  his  head,  which,  they  vainly  at 
tempted  to  reach,  till,  with  a  well-directed  stroke  of  his 
36  2*2 


282 


BAITING  AN  ELK. 


fore  foot,  he  sent  one  of  their  number  across  the  area 
with  half  his  bones  broken.  Another  was  speedily 
disabled  by  a  kick  from  behind ;  and  thus,  one  after 
the  other,  he  soon  put  the  whole  posse  hors  de  combat, 
without  receiving  any  considerable  injury. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

EAVING  the  Plaza  de  Toros, 
Pedro  strolled  along  the 
road  leading  towards  the 
most  populous  part  of  the 
suburbs,  with  the  inten 
tion  of  finding  some  tavern 
or  shop  where  he  might 
pass  the  night,  as  the  sun 

was  now  drawing  towards  the  western  horizon.  He 
had  not  proceeded  far,  when  he  heard  some  one  behind 
calling  him  by  name.  Surprised  at  the  unexpected 
sound,  in  a  place  where  he  was  so  completely  a 
stranger,  he  turned  round  and  saw  that  it  proceeded 
from  a  Montero,  mounted  on  a  mule,  which  carried 
besides  its  rider  an  immense  load  of  malaxo. 

"  Aha!  my  friend  Pedro !"  bawled  the  fellow ;  "how 
came  you  so  far  from  your  father's  own  sitio,*  among 
the  dear  old  hills  of  Camarioca?" 

"Santa  Maria!"  replied  Pedro, — "Is-  it  you,  Ma 
nuel  ?  My  old  playfellow,  with  whom  I  used  to  ramble 

*  A  ritio  is  a  small  farm,  usually  cultivated  by  the  owner  without,  but 
sometimes  with  a  few  slaves. 

2S3 


284  AN    OLD    PLAYFELLOW. 

through  the  woods  to  besiege  the  wild  bees,  and  shoot 
ortalans  and  partridge,  and  go  a-fishing  by  the  week 
together.  That  ever  my  eyes  should  see  you  in  this 
great  Babylon  of  a  city!" 

The  countryman  sprung  from  his  mule,  and  clasp 
ing  his  old  friend  in  his  arms,  half-smothered  him  with 
liis  embraces,  loudly  thanking  the  saints  for  such  a 
happy  meeting.  When  their  first  raptures  were  over, 
Pedro  briefly  recounted  the  occasion  of  his  journey; 
and  learned,  in  return,  that  his  friend,  who  had  been 
some  years  absent  from  his  native  district,  was  now 
established  on  a  little  farm  near  Havana,  where  he  cul 
tivated  maize  and  fruits,  and  raised  f6wls  for  the  city 
market.  He  cordially  invited  Pedro  to  pay  him  a 
visit  of  a  few  days  at  his  house,  and  offered  to  procure 
for  him  some  employment  by  which  he  might  raise  the 
means  of  returning  home,  or  of  pushing  his  fortune  in 
the  district  where  he  himself  was  reaping  the  fruits  of 
industry.  It  may  readily  be  supposed  that  Pedro  was 
not  backward  in  accepting  this  kind  offer. 

"  I  have  had  indifferent  luck  to-day,"  said  Manuel, 
"  in  selling  my  load  of  malaxo,  in  the  city;  but  we 
will  jog  along  together  through  the  suburbs,  were  I 
shall  be  sure  to  find  a  market  for  it,  and  after  that,  you 
shall  go  and  spend  the  night  with  me  at  my  little  sitio." 

So  saying,  he  resumed  his  way,  leading  his  mule 
along  by  the  halter  through  the  street  of  the  principal 
suburb,  chatting  with  his  friend,  and  occasionally  bawl 
ing  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Malaxo  /" 

Their  progress  was  soon  arrested  by  an  elderly  man, 
who  was  sitting  in  the  broad  entrance  of  a  handsome 


DON    JUSTO    SANCHES.  2S5 

house,  quietly  smoking  a  cigar;  and  who,  on  learning 
the  price,  engaged  to  take  the  whole  of  Manuel's  ma- 
laxo,  and  directed  him  to  lead  his  mule  into  the  court 
and  unload  it. 

While  they  were  making  the  bargain,  Pedro  was 
observing  the  old  gentleman,  and  was  struck  with 
something  in  his  voice  and  manner -which  half-con 
vinced  him  that  he  had  seen  him  before.  He  knew 
that  he  had  an  uncle  residing  in  or  near  Havana,  who 
had  no  family  of  his  own,  and  who  had  become  rich  by 
trade;  but  the  same  false  pride  which  had  prevented  him 
from  returning  home  when  he  had  lost  all  by  gambling 
at  Matanzas,  had  restrained  him  from  seeking  out  his 
uncle  and  claiming  his  hospitality  when  he  arrived  at 
Havana.  As  many  years  had  elapsed  since  he  had 
seen  his  uncle,  he  was  not  quite  certain  of  what,  in 
deed,  was. the  fact,  that  the  person  before  him  was  this 
near  relation.  He  had,  however,  a  strong  suspicion 
of  it,  and  accordingly  reconnoitered  the  old  cavalier 
and  his  establishment  with  no  ordinary  degree  of  in 
terest.  Every  thing  about  him  bespoke  wealth  and 
comfort.  The  house  was  large  and  elegant ;  a  splen 
did  volante  stood  in  the  entrance,  such  as  he  had  ob 
served  in  the  best  houses  in  Havana.  There  were 
rich  curtains  to  the  windows,  and  the  old  gentleman 
himself  was  dressed  in  the  best  style  of  the  country ; 
wore  a  diamond  breast-pin,  and  rested  his  hand  on  a 
gold-headed  cane,  as  he  sat  at  his  own  door  calmly  en 
joying  the  favourite  luxuries  of  his  country,  an  easy 
arm-chair  and  a  cigar. 

When  the  bargain  was  concluded,  Manuel  led  his 


286  DON   JUSTO    SANCHES. 

mule  through  the  entrance  where  the  old  man  sat, 
being  the  only  one  from  the  street,  directly  into  the 
open  courtyard  within,  whither  he  was  followed  by- 
Pedro,  who  was  anxious  to  assist  his  friend  in  remov 
ing  the  load.  Here  Pedro  observed  that  every  thing 
corresponded  to  the  exterior  of  the  house,  in  neatness 
and  taste.  The  balconies,  which  ran  completely  round 
the  courtyard  or  patio,  were  supported  by  massy 
pillars  of  stone;  and  these  and  the  walls  were  co 
vered  with  stucco  of  the  purest  white  :  the  very  well- 
curb  of  stone,  and  the  immense  stone  vase  which 
stood  in  the  corner,  were  neatly  white-washed;  and 
vases  of  flowers  and  cages  of  birds,  in  the  balconies 
above,  showed  a  degree  of  taste  and  refinement  which 
is  not  very  common  among  people  of  the  class  to 
which  Pedro's  uncle  originally  belonged — having  been 
a  Montero,  like  his  brother,  and  excluded  from  any 
share  in  the  patrimonial  inheritance  of  a  hundred 
acres  of  land,  by  the  partiality  of  his  father. 

The  two  friends  had  just  deposited  the  malaxo, 
which  was  received  by  a  couple  of  negroes,  the  only 
domestics  they  had  observed  about  the  courtyard, 
when  they  were  startled  by  a  feeble  cry  for  help,  pro 
ceeding  from  the  entry.  On  running  to  the  spot, 
they  found  the  outer  doors  closed  and  held  by  a  fierce- 
looking  fellow,  while  another  was  holding  the  old 
gentleman  by  the  throat  with  one  hand,  and  raising 
a  knife  over  his  head  with  the  other,  threatening  instant 
death  if  he  did  not  hold  his  peace.  A  third  assassin 
met  them  in  the  entrance,  with  a  machete  in  his  hand, 
but  was  instantly  felled  to  the  ground  by  a  stroke  of 


ATTEMPTED    ASSASSINATION.  287 

Manuel's  cudgel, — a  heavy  piece  of  orange  tree  which 
he  had  long  used  to  quicken  the  pace  of  his  mule. 
Pedro  flew  to  the  assistance  of  the  old  man,  and, 
catching  up  his  gold-headed  cane  which  had  fallen  on 
the  ground,  lie  gave  the  villain  who  was  holding  him 
a  blow  in  the  face,  which  compelled  him  to  abandon 
his  hold  of  the  old  gentleman's  throat  and  direct  a 
blow  of  his  knife  at  his  assailant,  by  which  Pedro  re 
ceived  a  severe  cut  in  the  left  arm,  in  his  attempt  to 
ward  it  off  from  his  breast.  At  the  same  moment,  he 
drew  his  own  knife  and  gave  the  assassin  a  wound 
near  the  shoulder,  which  brought  him  to  the  ground ; 
while  the  fellow  who  had  been  holding  the  outer  door 
threw  it  open,  and  ran  for  his  life.  He  was  pursued, 
however,  by  the  two  black  domestics,  who  had  come 
rather  tardily  to  the  scene  of  action,  and,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  hue  and  cry  raised  by  them,  was  speed 
ily  apprehended.  The  people  who  flocked  into  the 
entry  from  the  street  the  moment  the  door  was  thrown 
open,  assisted  in  securing  the  two  other  assassins, 
and  conducted  them  to  a  place  of  security,  while  Pe 
dro  and  Manuel  raised  the  old  gentleman,  who  had 
fallen  on  the  ground  in  the  scuffle,  and  carried  him  to 
a  sofa  in  the  hall ;  where,  with  the  assistance  of  a 
female  domestic,  who  now  first  made  her  appearance, 
they  speedily  recovered  him  from  the  fright  and  agi 
tation  into  which  he  had  been  thrown,  and  were  happy 
to  find  that  he  had  experienced  no  serious  injury  from 
the  rough  handling  of  the  assassin. 

The  old  man  was  profuse  in  his  thanks  to  Pedro 
and  his  friend,  for  the  prompt  and  effectual  assistance 


GRATITUDE. 

which  they  had  rendered  him,  and  insisted  on  their 
staying  with  him  through  the  night.  This  Pedro  con 
sented  to  do ;  but  Manuel  said  that  his  wife  would 
expect  him  at  home ;  and,  promising  to  return  the  next 
day,  he  departed.  This  arrangement  satisfied  the  old 
gentleman,  who  felt  the  stronger  interest  in  Pedro, 
from  the  circumstance  of  his  having  been  wounded  in 
his  own  immediate  defence. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


will  readily  be  sup 
posed  that  the  old  gen 
tleman,  whose  name 
was  Don  Justo  San- 
ches,  was  curious  to 
know  who  the  person 
was  to  whom  he  was 
so  much  indebted;  and,  accordingly,  when  he  had 
caused  his  wound  to  be  properly  attended  to,  and  had 
seen  a  table  spread  with  a  comfortable  supper  placed 
before  the  sofa  where  Pedro  was  reclining,  he  seated 
himself  opposite  to  him,  and,  joining  familiarly  in  the 
repast,  began  to  inquire  who  he  was  and  where  he 
belonged. 

"  Before  I  reply  to  you,  my  dear  sir,"  said  Pedro, 
"  I  beg  you  will  tell  me  how  those  villains  commenced 
their  attack  upon  you  ?" 

"  I  was  sitting,  as  you  saw  me,  when  you  passed  in. 
One  of  the  fellows,  the  same  that  you  wounded,  came 
up  to  me  with  a  handful  of  cigars,  which  he  said  were 
37  2  B  289 


290  OLD    SANCHES's    STORY.    « 

a  specimen  of  a  large  lot,  which  he  desired  to  sell 
While  I  was  examining  their  quality  and  inquiring 
the  price,  the  two  other  scoundrels  suddenly  entered 
from  the  street,  and  in  an  instant  I  found  myself  throt 
tled,  the  door  closed,  and  the  knife  raised  over  my 
head,  which,  but  for  your  valour,  my  friend,  would 
have  terminated  my  existence  in  this  world."* 
"  But  what  could  be  their  object?" 
"  Plunder,  plunder,  no  doubt  It  is  well  known 
that  I  live  alone,  having  but  four  domestics  in  the 
house,  and  two  of  these,  females.  They  probably  in 
tended  to  fasten  the  door  after  murdering  me,  to  si 
lence  the  negroes  by  threats  or  the  knife,  to  plunder  the 
house,  and  after  waiting  till  a  late  hour  in  the  night, 
to  make  their  escape.  If  they  had  seen  you  and  your 
friend  go  in,  they  would  have  waited  till  you  were 
gone.  I  thank  the  blessed  Virgin  that  it  was  other 
wise  ordered." 

"  Still  it  was  a  very  bold  attempt  in  so  populous  a 
place,  and  so  early  in  the  evening ;  for  it  was  just 
twilight,  you  know,  when  the  affair  happened." 

"  It  was  bold,  to  be  sure,  and  yet  you  must  acknow 
ledge  that  it  was  feasible,  and  but  for  your  timely 
aid  would  have  been  successful.  For  the  villain 
held  me  so  fast  by  the  throat,  that  my  cries  could  not 
be  heard  from  without,  and  were  but  just  loud  enough 
to  reach  you.  All  I  wonder  at  is,  that  I  was  not  m- 

*  That  the  circumstances  of  this  affair  may  not  seem  utterly  improbable 
to  those  who  are  ignorant  of  the  state  of  things  in  Havana,  I  would  just 
remark,  that  an  attempt  of  the  same  kind  was  actually  made  on  a  gentle 
man  residing  in  the  suburbs,  attended,  however,  with  a  different  result; 
for  the  villains  robbed  him  of  a  large  amount,  and  made  their  escape. 


A    RELATION    DISCOVERED.  291 

stantly  despatched,  which,  perhaps,  might  have  pro 
ceeded  from  a  design  to  make  me  discover  first  where 
I  kept  my  money  and  other  valuables." 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  the  affair  has  ended  so  well." 

"  So  ana  I,  and  heartily  thankful  to  you,  my  excellent 
young  friend,  for  the  active  part  you  took  in  bringing 
it  to  so  fortunate  a  termination.  But,  come,  you  have 
not  yet  told  me  your  name  and  family." 

"  My  name  is  Pedro  Sanches." 

"  Sanches !"  exclaimed  the  old  man,  springing  on 
his  feet,  and  half-overturning  the  table;  "  and  what  is 
your  father's  name?" 

"  Felipe  Sanches,"  replied  Pedro. 

"Santa  Maria  purissima! — my  own  nephew! — my 
own  brother's  son!"  and,  forgetting  Pedro's  wound, 
he  caught  him  in  his  arms  and  gave  him  an  embrace 
more  consistent  with  his  own  West  Indian  fervour, 
than  with  the  present  condition  of  his  nephew. 

Indeed,  the  old  man's  delight  and  surprise  at  finding 
himself  indebted  to  his  own  relation  for  his  life,  was 
only  equalled  by  the  gratitude  he  had  before  expressed 
for  so  important  a  service.  He  besought  all  the  saints 
to  bless  the  noble  boy — called  him  his  own  son,  and 
declared  he  would  never  part  with  him. 

Pedro  was  muy  contento,  in  his  own  phrase,  glad 
enough  to  find  his  conjecture  verified  concerning  his 
relationship  to  Don  Justo,  and  to  become  known  to 
him  in  a  manner  not  disgraceful  to  his  name.  At  his 
uncle's  desire,  he  candidly  told  him  the  whole  story  of 
his  adventures,  without  disguising  or  palliating  a  single 
circumstance. 


292  GOOD    FORTUNE. 

"  Well,"  said  Don  Justo,  when  he  had  finished  his 
narrative,  "  well,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  here ;  glad  that 
you  lost  your  money ;  glad  that  you  were  too  proud 
to  go  home  penniless ;  and,  most  of  all,  am  I  rejoiced 
that  you  came  here  so  opportunely  to  fight  my  battles. 
I  will  take  care  of  you  for  the  future,  my  boy.  You 
shall  have  nt>  occasion  to  go  strolling  about  the  island 
to  seek  your  fortune.  You  shall  choose  your  own  oc 
cupation  and  way  of  life.  I'll  back  you  with  the  cash, 
my  lad,  and  I'll  lay  a  hundred  doubloons  against  a 
bunch  of  cigars  you  will  be  a  credit  to  the  family." 

The  rest  of  Pedro's  story  may  be  very  briefly  told; 
for  it  is  only  while  a  poor  fellow  is  kicked  about  the 
world,  the  foot-ball  of  fortune,  that  his  life  affords  any 
materials  for  biography.  As  soon  as  he  begins  to 
succeed  in  his  enterprises,  there  is  an  end  of  all  the 
sport,  and  the  historian  gives  him  up  as  a  bad  bargain. 

Pedro,  after  living  some  time  with  his  uncle,  and 
seeing  all  the  fine  sights,  and  visiting  all  the  grand  cir 
cles  of  Havana,  declared  that  he  preferred  the  coun 
try  to  the  town.  The  charm  of  rural  life,  and,  perad- 
venture,  the  many  charms  of  Conchita,  made  him  cast 
many  a  longing  glance,  and  send  many  a  heartfelt  sigh 
towards  his  native  hills.  His  uncle  would  gladly  have 
persuaded  him  to  take  a  share  in  his  own  business,  and 
become  a  merchant ;  but  he  candidly  told  the  old  gen 
tleman  that  he  chose  to  live  and  die  a  Montero. 

"  A  little  sitio"  he  said,  "  with  a  few  cattle  and  some 
doubloons  laid  by  for  a  rainy  day,  was  the  summit  of 
his  wishes,  at  least  for  the  present.  Perhaps,  when 
he  was  older  and  more  experienced,  he  might  desire 


CO 

•*•    =0 

II 


^t      O 


'** 


